The Hindu : Karnataka News : Hearing on students' plea today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 15, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Hearing on students' plea today

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, SEPT. 14. The focus of professional-college admissions has now shifted to Wednesday's Karnataka High Court hearing on the petitions filed by several students of Siddartha Medical College, Tumkur, and M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, challenging the fee structure arrived at by the State Government and private professional colleges.

The court admitted the petitions last week and they had been posted for further hearing on Wednesday. The students, admitted under the management quota, had challenged the fees of Rs. 3.75 lakhs fixed for each of them on the ground that it was arbitrary and illegal. The students had said that the fee panel, now headed by the retired High Court Judge, Rangavittalachar, and not the Government or private colleges, should have fixed the fees.

They said the Supreme Court had left the question of fee fixation to the committee.

Govt.'s claim

The Government had said that the Supreme Court had permitted it and the private professional colleges to fix the fee structure. Besides, the students had given an undertaking that they would pay the difference in fees.

It is learnt that the Government has appointed the former Advocate-General, B.V. Acharya, to argue its case on admission matters before the Special Education Bench comprising Justice B. Padmaraj and Justice H. Billappa.

Interestingly, the Fee Fixation Committee will now be represented by its own advocate. Till recently, the Government advocate used to appear for the committee.

Students and parents had appeared for a third re-counselling for medical and dental seats at the CET Cell, confident that this time, it would be their final visit. But at least five medical colleges, the Mysore-based J.S.S. Medical College, the city-based M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, the Kolar-based Devaraj Urs Medical College, the B.L.D. Medical College in Bijapur and Kempe Gowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, opted not to admit CET students till the court gave its verdict.

However, all the medical colleges attached to the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka had decided not to admit CET students, according to the consortium chairman, R.L. Jalappa.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka