Hyderabad High Court notice to Telangana government on unaided courses

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has asked the Telangana state government to spell out its stand on a PIL challenging its move to allow certain courses in government-aided degree colleges as unaided courses.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice J. Uma Devi was dealing with a PIL by J. Shankar challenging the state order on May 9 permitting government-aided private degree colleges to convert grant-in-aid courses into unaided courses. “Won’t stopping aid give scope for the management to collect heavy fee from students,” the bench questioned the government.

Senior counsel for the petitioner Sarasani Satyam Reddy submitted that the educational institutions established after taking government lands and aid are now turning into private and autonomous institutions resulting in the poor students being to deprived of the education. He said once the aided courses are permitted to be converted in unaided courses, the managements will have right to charge higher fee.

Government counsel submitted the state government has been fixing the fee. While issuing notices to the respondents, the bench directed them to file the counter-affidavits.