Private colleges told to disclose fee collected from students, under RTI

TNIC seeks explanation from colleges for skipping hearing

12/03/2020, S. VIJAY KUMAR,CHENNAI

TNIC directed five private colleges in Vellore to divulge details of fee collected and salary paid.

The Tamil Nadu Information Commission has directed five private colleges in Vellore district to share the details of fee collected from students in aided/unaided courses and also disclose the salary paid to faculty in self-financed courses.

The case arises out of a petition filed by I. Elangovan of Vellore in 2008 seeking details of fee and special fee collected from students in under-graduate and post-graduate courses since 2003 from Dhanabagiyam Krishnasamy Mudaliar College for Women (Autonomous), Sainathapuram, Islamiah College, Vaniyambadi, Mazharul Uloom College, Ambur, C. Abdul Hakeem College, Melvisharam and Vorhees College in Vellore district, under the provisions of Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Not satisfied with the reply received from the Joint Directorate of Collegiate Education, the petitioner moved the commission which passed orders in 2009 directing the Public Information Officers of the respective colleges to provide the details sought under the Act. However, the colleges moved the Madras High Court by filing a writ petition challenging the order.

After hearing both sides, the court in 2019 passed orders directing the Commission to pass fresh orders after hearing all parties concerned.

In the fresh hearing that commenced later, the PIOs of Islamiah College and C. Abdul Hakeem College assured to provide details sought by the petitioner while the PIO of Mazharul Uloom College sought more time to furnish the same. The petitioner did not turn up for the hearing. The PIOs of Dhanabagiyam Krishnasamy Mudaliar College for Women (Autonomous) and Voorhees College also failed to appear in the hearing to present their arguments. The Commission recorded their absence with dissent.

Passing orders, State Information Commissioner S. Muthuraj directed all the colleges to send the information required by the petitioner by registered post and report compliance to the Commission.

He sought an explanation from the two colleges that did not appear in the hearing as to why disciplinary action should not be initiated against the PIO and the Principal under Section 20(2) of the Act.