K'taka HC provides respite to over 100 medicos

Bangalore, Aug 7 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court today came to the rescue of over 100 medicos of several private management medical colleges by providing them a respite from payment of higher tuition fee as demanded by the college managements since they had not approached the court challenging the fees fixed by the Fee Fixation Committee.

The Bench, comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Mr Justice N K Patil, issued an interim order, directing the managements to accept Rs 2,90,000 for the year 2005-06, subject to giving an undertaking to pay the balance of fees, if any, after the final disposal of the writ petitions regarding the rates fixed by the committee.

Abid ali Mirza and 99 other students of JSS medical college Davanagere, B M Patil Medical college of Belgaum and other colleges had challenged the rates fixed by the Committee.

The petitioners contended that while those who had approached the court earlier were permitted to pay a lower rate of fee and some of them were paying as low as Rs 1,60,000, they were asked to pay Rs 3,70,000 as per the order of the Committee made on January 18 last.

On an elaborate discussion of the contentions, the court granted the interim order.

The same Bench dismissed a batch of about 250 writ petitions filed by Ankush Agarwal and other students challenging the January 18 order of the Committee in view of a joint memo filed by the parties in the Supreme court in the companion proceedings.

UNI XR RG HVB2112