Students seek refunds after govt order in Pune’s ILS Law College fee dispute

Pune: Several students have begun approaching city-based ILS Law College seeking refund of what they described as "excess fees" charged under unapproved heads .This comes in the wake of the directorate of higher education (DHE) directing the college to refund Rs1.04 lakh to a student with 6% interest, stating that the amount was collected "illegally and in a non-transparent manner" under unapproved fee heads.In a letter issued on April 13 to the college, the DHE said the amount collected from petitioner Mayur Garud during the 2020-21 to 2024-25 academic years as "other fees" did not have the required approvals. It stated that the amount was recovered without transparency.Following this, over 30 students have submitted written representations to the college in the past two days seeking refund of fees collected allegedly beyond the structure approved by the state's fee fixation mechanism. The students cited the recent DHE order in support of their demands.Phone calls and text messages to the college authorities on Monday and Tuesday remained unanswered.Most students were of the view that the issue was not limited to a single case. "We have paid fees under multiple heads, which were never clearly explained or approved. After the DHE order, we realised that we may also be eligible for refunds," said Krishna Nair, a student who submitted an application to the DHE seeking similar directions."Every year, there were additional charges under ‘other fees'. We had no option but to pay. Now that the enquiry has confirmed irregularities, the college should act and refund all affected students," a student told TOI requesting anonymity.Another student said the lack of transparency has been a long-standing concern. "Fee receipts would mention general heads, but the break-up was never clear. We are now formally requesting the college to clarify and return the amounts charged in excess," the student said."We have submitted our applications. Our next step depends on the college authorities' response," another student said.Several students are also planning to escalate the matter with Savitribai Phule Pune University. A joint representation is expected to be submitted on Wednesday, seeking action against affiliated colleges found charging fees beyond approved limits.Garud said a large number of students facing similar issues has approached him after the DHE order. "More than 1,000 students from law colleges in the city have reached out to me saying they have been charged excess fees under different heads. This shows the problem is much bigger," he said."We are in the process of preparing a joint petition to again approach the HC so that relief can be extended to all affected students, not just one individual," Garud said.In connection with Garud's case, the DHE instructed the college to submit a compliance report to state govt, besides completing the refund along with 6% interest. The report will be submitted before the Bombay high court. The directive followed a court-mandated inquiry after the HC, by its order dated Feb 12, told the state to examine Garud's complaint filed on April 11, 2025, and take a decision within two months. The DHE enquiry had found that multiple unauthorised fee heads were introduced and fees collected "illegally and in a non-transparent manner". It also noted that other students might have experienced similar collections..
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