Supreme Court moves to curb capitation fee in private medical colleges

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 21

Terming the capitation fee charged by private medical colleges a “stark reality”, the Supreme Court has issued a series of directions, including establishment of a dedicated portal for reporting such incidents, to check the menace.

“The management of private medical colleges are strictly prohibited from accepting payment of fees in cash, in order to avoid charging a capitation fee. The students or any other aggrieved persons are at liberty to report on the web-portal regarding collection of fees in cash by any medical colleges,” a Bench led by Justice LNN Rao said in an order on Thursday.

No cash payment

• Private medical colleges can’t accept fee in cash
• A web-portal to be set up where students can report collection of fee in cash
• Colleges can’t demand anything over and above the fee finalised by the fee fixation panels

This court observed that it cannot shut its eyes to the hard realities of commercialisation of education and evil practices being adopted by many institutions to earn large amounts. This court was of the opinion that the method of admission has to be regulated so that the admissions are based on merit and transparency, if the charging of capitation fee and profiteering has to be kept in check. The Bench was hearing appeals filed by managements of private medical colleges aggrieved by orders passed by high courts upsetting the fee fixed by respective fee fixation committees for undergraduate medical courses for academic years 2004-2007.

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