Good Morning

Thursday, June 25, 2026

EWS student allotted general MBBS seat, college demands ₹19L annual fee

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesofindia.com 25.06.2026

New Delhi : Supreme Court on Wednesday said that private medical colleges can not be prevented from charging higher fees than govt ones and forcing them to do so would result in their closure and harm to medical education.

The bench while hearing a plea by an EWS student who was allotted a general category seat in a private medical college where he would be required to pay nearly ₹19 lakh as annual tuition fee, noted that the private medical colleges are barred from taking capitation fees and are selffinancing.

“The annual tuition fee cannot be the same in a private medical college and a govt one. In the self-financing private colleges, every expense is to be borne by the colleges whereas the govt subsidies the expenses in the colleges under it”, said Justice Nagarathna.

“The private colleges are also contributing in the field of higher education, including in the medical stream. If they are asked to take fees at govt rate, then they will close down and the medical education would suffer. If other states have implemented the EWS quota and if Rajasthan has not done it, the courts cannot direct private colleges to reduce fees”, she said.

The petitioner whose parents have an annual income of less than ₹8 lakh, cleared NEET-UG 2025, said that he was “arbitrarily” allotted a general category seat in a private medical college and that ₹19 lakh being demanded of him was way beyond his means. His counsel said, “Non implementation of the mandatory 10% EWS reservation by providing only 12 EWS seats in the college having 150 seats diluting the constitutional mandate and prejudicing the Petitioner who was given admission in unreserved category despite having validly applied in EWS category.

Pvt colleges, deemed univs launch digi regn drives ahead of NEET counselling

Pvt colleges, deemed univs launch digi regn drives ahead of NEET counselling

Experts warn Of Backdoor Admissions, Fee Deals

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 25.06.2026

Chennai : Weeks before NEET counselling for undergraduate medical admissions begins, private medical colleges and deemed universities have quietly launched digital registration portals for MBBS aspirants — a practice academicians and student counsellors say has no legal standing and could pave the way for backdoor admissions and under-the-table fee arrangements.

The registrations, once conducted discreetly on campuses, have now moved online. Under the existing regulatory framework, admissions to MBBS seats are governed exclusively by state and central counselling committees. After NEET-UG results are declared, the Medical Counselling Committee under the Directorate General of Health Services, New Delhi, allots candidates to central institutions, deemed universities and 15% of state medical college seats, based on merit in NEET, reservation norms and student preference.

State committees allot candidates to the remaining 85% of govt seats and all seats in self-financing and state private colleges. Colleges are barred from directly admitting students. Yet, the portals ask prospective candidates to submit personal details — name, address, mobile number, NEET admit card number and scores. “Some parents assume early registration will help their children secure seats,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. “Colleges then meet parents, offer financial incentives such as fee discount of up tos 5 lakh a year and ask them to pay a part of the fee in advance.

They also help them fill admission forms in ways that could steer allotments toward the college," he said. These arrangements can affect merit, he said.

A parent said a college official promised a discount of up to 5 lakh a year — on annual fees that already run as high as 30 lakh — in exchange for early registration. “I decided to pay and pick the seat in the first round of counselling. But my son's teacher warned me I could lose the money,” said Varadharajan S, who works for an IT firm.