A group of medicos has dragged the management of a private medical college to court, after they were harassed and asked to pay an exorbitant amount as tuition fees.
The state fees committee, headed by Justice N.V. Balasubramanian, had fixed the annual tuition fees for Sri Muthukumaran Medical College at `2.25 lakh, but the college was allegedly extorting up to `6.9 lakh from second-year students.
While the judgment is still pending in the Madras high court, petitioner M. Venkataraman, state secretary of the All India Students Federation (AISF), says in his affidavit that the medical college has received Rs 4.64 lakh plus a caution deposit of Rs 50,000 from first-year students, and Rs6.9 lakh from second-year students — not including boarding and lodging fees for hostellers and transport fees from day scholars.
“Even students admitted by merit through the government quota (50 per cent of the seats) have reportedly been asked to pay up or face the consequences.
The college had threatened that they would not be allowed to attend classes, and that their internal assessment marks would be reduced if they did not pay the amount demanded by the management,” says Mr Srirangan, the advocate representing the medicos.
AISF has come forward to petition the high court on behalf of the students as they were too scared to openly resist the management.
The harassment for money began in December last year, when a circular signed by college dean, Dr V.S. Dorairaj, was put up on all notice boards, threatening students who had not paid the ‘full fees’ that they would not be allowed to attend classes, and will have to pay a fine of Rs200 per day if they defaulted.
While a few of the medicos from well-to-do families paid up, 65 students were unable to pay and their names were displayed on the notice boards. Dr Dorairaj could not be reached for comment.
“While the high court has granted a stay order, no action has been taken against the management. The college has not refunded the excess fees paid by the students.
The second-year medicos are worried that they will not be able to pass out as doctors as the management could be vindictive and award them poor marks in practicals, viva voce and internal examinations,” said a professor, calling for a committee to monitor all self-financing medical colleges and ensure that the fees structure fixed by the state fees committee is followed.