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The Supreme Court on September 17, 2020, refused to hear any petition seeking University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Bar Council of India (BCI) to provide time relaxation for payment of tuition fees by the students.
During the hearing, the counsel who appeared on behalf of the petitioners submitted in the court that the plea is for the larger interest of the students and that it is not seeking forfeiture of fees, but any kind of relaxation.
Check: UGC Asks Universities and Colleges Not to Force Students into Paying Fees Immediately
Earlier, UGC had said, “Due to the lockdown amid the Coronavirus outbreak, students are facing financial hardship and are unable to make payment of fees.”
“If need be, the universities and colleges may also consider individual requests from students, received if any, concerning payment of fee, in a considerate manner, keeping in view the present COVID-I9 pandemic,” UGC said.
A three-judge bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice R Subhash Reddy, and Justice MR Shah, while refusing to hear the matter, gave the petitioner full liberty to head to concerned High Courts for the respective matter.
The apex court was hearing the petition filed by a fourth-year law student, Ramey Rana, stating that the guidelines issued by the UGC and BCI on May 27 and July 27 respectively were unheeded by universities for sympathetically dealing with payment by students during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Justice Bhushan, one judge on the bench of the court, observed that the court had earlier dismissed similar kinds of matters and the bench had said petitioners can go to the relevant High Courts because all colleges, universities, states follow varied conditions and requirements.
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