Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday dismissed petitions filed by several private engineering colleges seeking a fee hike for the academic year 2025-26. The Court directed the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) to take a decision on the fee hike representations submitted by the colleges and to forward its proposals to the government within six weeks.
The Court clarified that the final decision on the fee hike rests solely with the government.
Expressing displeasure over TAFRC’s approach, the Court noted a recurring pattern where engineering colleges submit fee hike proposals each year, yet TAFRC delays its recommendations until after counseling and admissions are completed. Consequently, colleges resort to legal action.
On Thursday, around 11 colleges, including Guru Nanak, Gokaraju, and Rangaraju Colleges, filed lunch motion petitions challenging Government Order (GO) 26, which stated that the fees charged during the last block period would continue for 2025-26.
Justice K. Laxman hearing the petetions criticized the delay in inspections and decisions. He pointed out that fee hike proposals were submitted in December, yet no decision was made until June. The Court questioned the delay by the 15-member committee and asked why the colleges did not exert pressure on TAFRC earlier or approach the Court before counseling.
Senior advocate Avinash Desai, representing the colleges, stated that the proposals were submitted in December and approved by the committee in March, with proof available in the official register. Senior advocate P. Sriraghuram argued that the proposals, comprising around 5,000 pages, required time for review. He added that fees from the last block period were recommended for continuation this year.
Representing the government, Rahul Reddy informed the Court that some colleges were seeking fee hikes ranging from 70% to 90% over last year’s structure.
After hearing all arguments, the Court dismissed the petitions and issued orders on Friday.
