Return excess fee: HC tells 2 colleges

Hyderabad: The High Court has asked the Chaitanya Bharati Institute of Technology (CBIT) and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology to reimburse the excess fees they had collected from about 2,000 students.

For the block period of 2016-19, the CBIT management had charged Rs 2 lakh per year instead of Rs 1,13,500 per year.

Students at MGIT paid `1.6 lakh instead of `1 lakh per year. The Telangana Parents Association (TPA) had cited a Supreme Court judgment which stated that engineering colleges in the state have to follow the rules set by Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC).

Mr Srinadh C., a member of the Telangana Parents Association, explained, “The management was not willing to listen. They said that the court order applies only to some engineering colleges and not to all. For this reason, we had to move the high court. The court has now said very clearly that the order of the Supreme Court has to be implemented by all colleges. CBIT and MGIT have to reimburse the fees to the students.”

The students have been subjected to pressure by the college management due to the court case, alleged the parents.

The block fee for 2019-2022 has been revised to `1.34 lakh per year.

TPA has urged all engineering colleges in Telangana State to follow the rules set by TAFRC and not deviate from them.

The TPA stated that they had immense support in fighting the college managements from TAFRC chairman Justice Swaroop Reddy.