SC notice to SGRR medical college, state on Medicos' plea seeking refund of extra fees charged for releasing documents
Dehradun: Considering a plea of 4 medical students seeking a refund of approximately Rs 18 lakh each in excess fees paid to secure the release of their original documents, the Supreme Court recently served notice to a medical college, a university and the state of Uttrakhand.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, took note of the submissions of lawyer Tanvi Dubey, appearing for the medical students, and issued notices to the state government, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences College in Dehradun, and the Shri Guru Ram Rai University seeking their responses on the matter, as per a recent PTI report.
According to the plea filed by Jaandeep Singh, Avantika, Heena Nandwani and Ritika Aneja, in view of urgent reasons, including NEET-PG counselling and job opportunities, the students were forced to pay the entire sum of Rs 25.77 lakh for the all-India quota and Rs 17.26 lakh for state quota to the college to get their certificates back.
In pursuance of the apex court’s September 9 order, the students asked the college to refund the balance amount after deducting Rs 7.5 lakh, it said. However, the medical college refused to refund the amount to the students, the plea added, quotes PTI
On September 9, the top court granted relief to similarly situated 91 students, asking the medical college to release their original documents withheld by the institute on the payment of Rs 7.5 lakh. It had asked the students to give an undertaking that they would pay the balance amount if a judicial decision on the fee row orders so.
The original documents in question include essential educational certificates, such as MBBS degrees and internship completion certificates, without which the students could not participate in vital career and academic activities.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that SGRR medical college authorities had increased the MBBS fees from Rs 5 lakhs per annum to Rs 13 lakhs per annum, which was around a 150 percent fee hike. While the State quota students had been asked to submit Rs 26 lakhs, the management quota students were told to pay Rs 37 lakh fees. The college management also had put the internships of the final year students on hold clarifying that the internship will commence only when the students will clear the due.
Also Read: Fee Hike from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 13 lakh, Internships on Hold: SGRR MBBS Students on Protest
The petitioners had challenged the increase of MBBS fees by the medical college by Rs 5 lac per student to Rs 13.22 lacs for the All India Quota, from Rs 4 lacs to Rs 9.78 lacs for the State quota seats per annum. The institute applied the decision retrospectively in April 2018, thereby making it applicable to the 2018 batch of students.
Although, the students challenged the decision before the Uttarkhand High Court, last year on February 28, the HC bench directed the payment of an entire amount of Rs 36.99 lacs in arrears for the All India Quota and Rs 26.01 lacs for State quota students in 9 installments. Releasing a notice, the college had mentioned that the internship of these students would not start without payment.
Challenging this decision, the students approached the Apex Court bench, which on April 28 directed that the internship should be continued subject to the deposit of the fees in two installments. Further, the HC bench was directed to dispose of the pending plea expeditiously- "preferably within three months from today."
The HC bench on August 6 observed that the original documents of the students could only be released if the petitioners paid the deposit sum mentioned in the February 28 order. The matter was listed for further hearing in March 2025.
Thereafter, altogether 91 students who finished their education and completed their mandatory internship challenged the Uttarakhand High Court's decision dated August 6 through which the students were asked to pay the arrears of around Rs 30 Lac to get their original documents.
