Bengaluru: Top medical college told to refund students' excess fee with interest

Bengaluru: In what is seen as a move to curb collection of exorbitant fee in the medical education sector, a top private medical college in the state has been directed to refund excess fee collected from students. In its order, the Admission Overseeing Committee (AOC) has asked the management of JJM Medical College, Davangere, to refund the excess amounts collected from students for two academic years with an interest of 6 per cent.

The AOC, headed by Justice B. Manohar, has recommended the state government to take suitable actions to ensure the affiliating varsity Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) to send needful communication to the college to implement the refund process soon. The action was taken after several parents and students voiced their grievances.

According to the order, the "Committee recommends state government to direct RGUHS to order for refund of excess fee collected by JJM Medical college for the academic year 2017-18, and also second year MBBS students for the academic year 2018-19 with six per cent interest, within 30 days, from the date of receipt of said direction. Failing which, the university may be directed to impose a fine of twice the amount collected, and also make necessary recommendations to the Medical Council of India for withdrawal of recognition and affiliation granted to it."

The order also stated that "action will be taken under the provisions (prohibition of capitation fee) Act, 1984 and the Karnataka Education Institutions (Regulation of admission and determination of Fee) Act 2006."

Further, it was also observed that colleges have been collecting a fee of more than Rs 1 lakh from first year MBBS students as clinical fee. Raising objection towards the same, the AOC has also sought explanation on why students have been asked to bear the cost to utilise facilities of the district hospital.