Students file plea, MP HC stays medical college's fee demand

A vacation bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday allowed 52 postgraduate (MD/MS) students of a private medical college to appear for their January exam without depositing extra tuition fees.

Bhopal-based LN Medical College, on the basis of a recent order of the Appellate Authority Admission and Fees Regulatory Committee of Madhya Pradesh, had demanded extra tuition fees from students, the petitioner students' counsel Aditya Sanghi said.

A vacation bench of Justices Nandita Dubey and Sanjay Dwivedi stayed the order of the Appellate Authority Admission and Fees Regulatory Committee, he added.

The 52 students took admission in postgraduate medical courses in the college on a fee structure of Rs 11.55 lakh per annum on the basis of an order of the state director medical education issued in April 2019, Sanghi informed.

However, the college, two weeks ago, asked students to deposit Rs 13.75 lakh with LNCT University Bhopal before December 31, failing which they would not be allowed to appear for the examination to be held in January, Sanghi said.

The court served four-week returnable notices on the respondents, namely Secretary of Appellate Authority Admission and Fees Regulatory Committee, Secretary of Admission and Fees Regulatory Committee, Registrars of LN Medical College and the LNCT University Bhopal, Director of medical education and Principal Secretary of medical education, he said.