The association of private medical college students and their parents has questioned how the State Government passed a bill and orchestrated fee hike violating the Supreme Court directions and keeping bodies of the Government of India in the dark. They have further stated that the Governor should use his discretion and not sign the bill in question, apart from which the high court too should take suo motto cognizance of the issue which is also sub judice in the high court.
Addressing the media, the chief patron of private medical university joint parents association, Ravindra Jugran questioned how the state government could pass a bill violating the Supreme Court decision of 2006. He said, “Apart from violating the Supreme Court directions, the State Government also acted in contempt of the Uttarakhand high court where a case regarding the fees in private universities is pending since 2017. Even before the pronouncement of judgement by the high court in the case, how can the state cabinet take a decision to accord the private universities the right to ascertain their feesIJ The Government should also explain how the private medical colleges had hiked their fee by about 400 per cent without the State Government issuing any notification or Government order for authorising the private universities to decide their own fee. In such a scenario, how can credit be taken for withdrawing the fee hikeIJ The Government should state clearly under which order was the fee hiked and under which order was the hike revoked,” he said. Jugran further questioned the State Government going against the Supreme Court order and Ministry of Health circular dated October 16, 2017 to authorise private medical colleges to hike their fees. The association has also requested the governor of the state to take cognisance of this major anomaly. “The Raj Bhawan should not play the role of a mute spectator but play its role in safeguarding the constitution. The governor should play a proactive role and send the bill passed by the Government back. We also request that the high court should take suo motto cognisance of this issue as it has done in the past in various cases,” said Jugran. He further informed that students of private medical colleges would continue to protest until the earlier fee system is resumed officially.