Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday dismissed petitions by private engineering colleges seeking permission to increase tuition fees for the upcoming academic year.
The court directed the Telangana Admissions and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) to take a decision on their proposals within six weeks and send recommendations to the State government.
‘Fee hike depends on government decision’
The court clarified that any revision in fees will depend on the final decision taken by the government based on TAFRC’s recommendations. It stated that the colleges cannot unilaterally hike fees without official approval.
Court criticises annual fee disputes
During the hearing, Justice K Lakshman expressed dissatisfaction with the recurring disputes over fee hikes every year. The court observed that colleges routinely submit proposals for fee hikes, but TAFRC delays its recommendations until counselling and admissions are completed, forcing colleges to approach the court later for interim relief.
Status quo GO challenged by colleges
Several colleges, including Guru Nanak and Gokaraju Rangaraju engineering colleges, along with nearly 11 other institutions, filed lunch motion petition challenging GO 26, which mandates that fees fixed during the previous block period will continue for 2025-26. The petitions were heard on Thursday.
Delay by TAFRC questioned
Justice Lakshman questioned why TAFRC, despite having 15 members, could not finalise fee hike proposals even six months after submission. He criticised the delay, noting that if proposals are submitted in December, decisions should not take until June. The court also asked why colleges approach the court only after counselling concludes.
Colleges argue timely submission
Senior advocate Avinash Desai, representing the colleges, stated that proposals were submitted in December and accepted by TAFRC in March, with records available in the register as proof.
Committee seeks time for scrutiny
On behalf of TAFRC, senior counsel P Sriraghuram argued that the colleges had submitted around 5,000 pages of proposals, requiring detailed scrutiny before finalisation. He said TAFRC had therefore recommended continuing with the previous block period fees for this year.
State opposes steep fee hikes
Additional Advocate General Rahul Reddy, representing the state government, informed the court that some colleges were seeking fee hikes of 70-90 per cent compared to last year, which was unjustifiable.
Final orders issued
After hearing all arguments, the High Court directed TAFRC to examine the proposals and send recommendations to the government within six weeks, reiterating that any fee hike will depend on the government’s final approval.
