The Orissa High Court, acting on petitions filed by aspiring doctors, has issued notices to private medical colleges over the steep hike in annual fees for MBBS courses.
The Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar hiked its annual fees for MBBS students to Rs 11.50 lakh from Rs 6.50 lakh, while the Hi-Tech MCH in Rourkela increased the amount to Rs 8.54 lakh from Rs 5.50 lakh.
Aggrieved by the increase in course fees, candidates who figured in the merit list for admissions in the MBBS course had sought the High Court’s intervention in the matter.
Students are facing immense hardship, as they have to arrange financial assistance, including bank (education) loans, and the substantial fee increase at the time of admission is irrational and arbitrary, the petitioners’ counsel argued.
“In the interim, the Orissa High Court has directed that any fees collected from students named in the present writ petition shall be subject to the outcome of the case, without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the petitioners and the Hi-tech institutions in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela,” a Division Bench comprising Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak and Justice Mruganka Sekar Sahoo ordered on Friday.