Pune Law Students Win Big: College Forced to Refund Crores in Illegal Fees + 6% Interest!
Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil just dropped a major win for students at ILS Law College in Pune. He’s ordered the college to pay back fees it collected illegally, plus 6% interest. This comes after a government committee dug into complaints, following orders from the Bombay High Court.
The state took these reports seriously because the college – a non-government aided one – wasn’t upfront about its fee hikes. They set up a three-member team led by the Joint Director of Higher Education to check things out.
The report laid it bare: During 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2024-25, ILS Law College grabbed unauthorized fees from students without a nod from Savitribai Phule Pune University. That’s a clear breach of Section 101(7) in the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016. One student alone got hit with Rs. 1,04,863 across 17 random heads.
Now, the Directorate of Higher Education has told the college, via the Divisional Joint Director, to cough up the cash to affected students – interest included from the payment date.
Patil isn’t stopping there. He’s tasked the Divisional Joint Director with scanning other colleges statewide for similar tricks. If they find any, expect tough action.
It’s a solid move from the government to shield students and keep fee collection clean and transparent.
