KOCHI: The High Court has canceled the self-financing medical fees for the year fixed by the Fees Regulatory Committee. The division bench also directed to re-determine the fees within one month in compliance with court orders and norms.

The fees fixed by the regulatory committee was between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh. The verdict came in a petition filed by a group of self-financing colleges alleging that the fees were set without following the norms. The judgment applies to the college managements who have filed the petition. The fee determination report should be submitted to the court by January 25. The petitions will be considered again on January 27.

The High Court had in last November considered the petitions filed by the self-employed medical managements against the determination of this year's fees. The Division Bench then criticized the decision of the committee to fix the fees without following the norms.

The interim order also said that the fees claimed by the colleges would have to be published on the Admissions Commissioner's website and online portal and the students should be informed about the fee information from the colleges through the website. The government approached the Supreme Court against this but it was rejected. The petitions were directed to the High Court for consideration. Subsequently, the petitions reached the High Court again.

The High Court's say on this

The High Court, as the appellate court, has the power to review the determination of fees. The decision will be made after considering all the circumstances and criteria. The decision should be taken after examining the revenue and expenditure submitted by the colleges and considering the order in the Jubilee Mission case and hearing the opposing parties in the case. This gives the Fee Regulatory Committee another chance to re-determine the fees.