College directed to refund fees to former student

Chennai: The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Chennai-South (DCDRF-S) directed a well-known private engineering college to refund fees of Rs 1,50,350 to a girl student who discontinued from MCA course three days after admission.  The forum also slapped the college with a fine of Rs 15,000.

 In the petition, G.K.V. Sankar Narayanan, Nemili, Vellore district, a retired Highways Inspector, submitted that his daughter, Layavarjitha, was admitted to MCA course in SSN College of Engineering, OMR, Kalavakkam, Chennai.

He paid Rs 36,000 towards tuition fees on August 3, 2015 and Rs 1,54,350 for facilities including transport, books, lab court, ID card, WiFi digital library fees.

His daughter joined the college hostel on August 10, 2015 and left the institution on August 13, 2015. She also vacated the hostel due to homesickness three days after admission.  He immediately approached the college management for a refund. While returning the certificates they promised her that the fees would be refunded.  

As the college did not respond properly, he sent a notice to the Principal and the President, SSN Trust, Mylapore on November 7, 2015 seeking refund of Rs 1,90,350 with interest and compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh.

According to him, the action of the college amounts to deficiency in service and caused him mental agony and hardship. Denying the allegations, the college management submitted that educational institutions were not providing any kind of service in matters of admission, fees etc. Hence, the question of deficiency of service does not arise.

“Education is not a commodity and therefore only when the institution having admitted a student when it refuses to impart education, it may be said that there is deficiency of service,” the management said.

She left the course for personal reasons and the question of deficiency of service does not arise at all. The petition is liable to be dismissed, the management added.

The bench comprising president B. Ramalingam, members K. Amala and Dr T. Paul Rajasekaran said “a student is a customer and has every right to except satisfactory service”.

All education institutions are service providers. The deficiency in service could have happened either before the candidate joins the institute or during his or her tenure at the institute.  

Relying on orders of Supreme Court, High court, Consumer Forums, directions of UGC and AICTE, the bench held that SSN college committee deficiency in service. Hence, directed the college to refund Rs 1,50,350 with interest at 9 per cent per annum and compensation of Rs 15,000.