High Court relief for Law Students on tuition fees in this State

On Friday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a notice to the Punjab government and Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law on a petition challenging the varsity’s decision not to reduce or waive the fee for upcoming semester. Meanwhile, as per the order, the university will not charge any late fee from the students failing to pay the fee by the last date.

The students had been asked to deposit the fee by July 10 or face a fine starting from Rs 1,000.

The order was passed by a single bench in a petition filed by certain RGNUL students seeking directions that the university be asked to charge only that amount of fee for the August-December semester in lieu of which expenditure is actually being incurred. The undergraduate law students were represented by Senior Advocate Chetan Mittal during the hearing. The case is now listed for hearing on July 17.

During the hearing, it was submitted that 50 per cent of the total fee is being charged towards amenities, campus development, moot court, examination and library fee. Plus, hostel fee is also being charged despite students not residing there since March. The tuition fee being charged from the students is Rs 55,000 and other charges amount to Rs 41,000.

The petitioners argued that RGNUL receives a huge grant from the Punjab government and has even exempted the rent for shops, canteen, mess and quarters to the tune of 25 per cent from March, but continues to force the students to pay the full fee. The students also alleged that the university hardly held any regular online classes and argued that instead of adjusting the balance semester fee of the previous session, it is demanding a full advance payment of fee for upcoming semester.

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