ILS Law College alumni flag fee issues and lapses in governance

Pune: Alumni of ILS Law College have written to its chairman, seeking urgent reforms in the functioning of the institution amid allegations of illegal fee collection, suppression of students' protests, lack of transparency and serious governance lapses.

The letter, dated April 23, 2026, comes amid the ongoing fee row at the college, where students have accused the administration of levying unauthorised or excessive charges and demanded refunds. State govt has already ordered action in a related case.

S V Kanetkar, chairman of the governing council of ILS, told TOI on Tuesday that he was travelling and would look into the matter after returning to Pune by April 30. "All claims made by the students are false. We will explain our side in a later course of time," he said.

Backing the students, the ILS alumni claimed that fees were collected under multiple heads in a "non-transparent and illegal" manner, without proper disclosure. "Students and parents were never informed how these funds were used," the letter stated, demanding accountability from the college management.

The alumni's letter also criticised the manner in which student protests were handled. Referring to a protest held last year, they alleged that the administration warned students of disciplinary action and deployed police personnel on the campus to curb the protest. "Can students not question the college's decisions? Accountability cannot exist if criticism is suppressed," the letter stated.

Raising broader governance concerns, the alumni alleged lack of transparency in addressing complaints related to financial irregularities and campus facilities. They claimed that when internal action was taken in some cases, no detailed reports were shared with students.