Madras High Court sets aside orders of private school fee determination panel

A division bench comprising Justice CT Selvam and Justice MV Muralidaran held that private institutions are at liberty to fix their fee structure to meet their running costs as well as making provision for their future needs. 

“It is only when the committee finds the fees structure formulated by schools objectionable that it will enter upon the exercise of determining the fees to be collected by such institution,” the bench said. “So long as the fees structure formulated by the school does not amount to profiteering or is not exorbitant, the committee should not interfere,” it added. 

“It would be appropriate to set aside the orders under challenge and remand the matters for fresh consideration of the committee. We trust that in doing so, the committee will take into consideration the broad parameters to be followed by the Fee Determination Committee and our observations which flow from the decision of the division bench of this court in Lakshmi Matriculation School case,” the bench said.