Strap: Seeks stay on varsity move; continuation of other fees as collected in AY 2025-26 & restrain on any coercive action
ILS Law college Story – Kanwardeep
Pune: The Bombay high court is likely to hear on Thursday a writ petition by the ILS Law College challenging Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU)’s communication of April 30, 2026, that fixed the other fees as part of the fee structure for the three- and five-year LLB courses for 2026-27 at Rs4,340 as against Rs36,790 collected during 2025-26.The other fees refer to charges for various activities other than the tuition fees approved by the authority concerned for the college.The ILS Law College landed in a row over allegations of collecting other fees in 2025-26 under “miscellaneous” heads like “other activities,” “maintenance,” and “facilities” without required statutory approvals from the university. This prompted a petition by a student before the HC which had directed an inquiry by the state higher education department. Post-inquiry, the state directed the college to refund the ‘excess fees’.The ILS Law Society, the parent body of the law college, and the college on June 15 filed the writ petition in the HC against this backdrop, challenging the SPPU communication as “arbitrary, unilateral and without any authority” especially when the college was not heard on the issue.In March 2023, the college had submitted a proposal for other fees to the fee fixation committee (FFC) at the SPPU with a fee challan showing ‘other activities fees’ charged by the college. This proposal remained pending despite reminders by the college and in June 2023 SPPU wrote to the college stating that it can collect other fees as charged during the last year (2022-23) till the final approval of its proposal.The state CET cell excluded ILS Law College’s name from the entrance exam scheme for the three- and five-year LLB courses for 2023-24 on the grounds that its fee structure was not approved by the university. The college had to then secure the HC’s directive on July 5, 2023, to the CET cell to include its name in the entrance exam scheme.Subsequently, the petitioners stated that their proposals for other fees for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 under the Maharashtra Public University (MPU) Act provisions, had not been finally decided by the FCC despite its reminders at regular intervals to finalise the revised fee structure. The matter has since been pending despite the college having submitted details against all clarifications sought by the SPPU, the petition stated.The petitioners claimed that without any meeting or hearing, the SPPU issued them impugned (under challenge) communication reducing the other head fees to Rs4,340 for 2026-27 as against Rs36,790 collected in 2025-26.As an interim measure, the petitioners have sought a stay on the SPPU communication of April 30, 2026, directions to the respondent authorities to let them collect other fees as per last 2025-26 and a restrain on any coercive action in matters of entrance exam or admissions.
