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Supreme Court Ruling on MBBS Fees for Poor Students, Tree Felling Penalties in TTZ

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Supreme Court has made significant rulings to benefit poor students pursuing MBBS courses in private institutions and to protect the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) from environmental degradation. In its recent judgment, the Court ordered that students from below poverty line (BPL) families would only pay subsidized fees, while private medical colleges cannot charge extra fees on any other head. The ruling would have a positive impact on thousands of students from BPL families across the country.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Supreme Court ruled that BPL students pursuing MBBS courses in private institutions can only pay subsidized fees, as fixed by the state or the Fee Regulatory Committee.
  • Private medical colleges are not allowed to charge extra fees on any other head, and students who have already paid excess fees are entitled to a refund or set-off against future fees.
  • The SC upheld a Kerala HC order quashing the state's notification, which had mandated higher fees collected from NRI students to be deposited with the government for subsidizing the education of poor students.
  • The private institutions are entitled to keep the collected fees with them for creation of a "corpus fund" for subsidizing the fees of BPL students.
  • The SC has imposed penalties of up to Rs 25,000 per tree for illegal felling inside the eco-sensitive TTZ, utilizing its authority under Article 142 of the Constitution.
  • The SC directed the Forest Research Institute (FRI) to submit a presentation to the governments of UP and Rajasthan for funds for a tree census in TTZ in a phase-wise manner.
  • The FRI estimated that nearly Rs 7 crore would be required for the census.

Statistics:

  • Rs 25,000: penalty per tree for illegal felling in TTZ
  • Rs 7 crore: estimated cost of tree census in TTZ
  • Rs 7,000: subsidized MBBS fee for BPL students (as per Fee Regulatory Committee)

Sources:

  • [Times of India]
  • [Supreme Court Judgment]
  • [Forest Research Institute (FRI)]
  • [Kerala HC order]
  • [Article 142 of the Indian Constitution]

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