HC upholds exam fee collection by AU

HC upholds exam fee collection by AU

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.12.2020

Refusing to interfere with Anna University’s decision to collect fees for examinations cancelled due to the pandemic, the Madras high court dismissed a batch of pleas challenging the same.

“Even though examination was not conducted, the fact that the students are declared as passed from the stage of first year to pre final year, has the effect of writing the examination and clearing the same. Therefore, it cannot be held to be completely illogical to demand payment of examination fees from the students for declaring their results,” Justice N Anand Venkatesh said. The state government itself has authorised the universities and academic institutions to collect the semester fees as well as the examination fees before publishing their results, the court added.

Pointing out that already 378 non-autonomous colleges affiliated to Anna University have paid the fee collected from students, the court said, “It is only after the interim orders were passed by this court, students stopped paying the fee.”

Therefore, when the majority of the institutions and students have already paid fees and got their results published, it will not be in the fitness of things to grant an exception only to those who have approached this court, the judge said.

“To interfere with this decision at this point of time, will open floodgates and it will result in a chaotic situation more particularly since many colleges affiliated to Anna University have collected the examination fees and paid it to the University,” Justice Anand Venkatesh added.