New Delhi, 24 June (H.S.): The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition challenging a Rajasthan High Court ruling that held students belonging to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category are entitled to reservation benefits only at the stage of admission and cannot subsequently claim concessions in tuition fees at private medical colleges.

The petition was heard by a vacation bench headed by Justice B V Nagarathna. The challenge had been filed by Harshvardhan Singh, an EWS-category student from Rajasthan.

During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna observed that private educational institutions cannot be expected to offer fee concessions on the same basis as government-run institutions. She noted that private colleges are required to finance their own operations, whereas government colleges receive financial support and subsidies from the state.

Referring to the landmark T.M.A. Pai Foundation Judgment, the bench stated that while capitation fees are prohibited, this does not mean that private institutions are barred from charging their regular tuition fees.

The petitioner argued that the annual income ceiling for eligibility under the EWS category is Rs 8 lakh and questioned how a student from such a family could afford the cost of medical education at a private institution. He submitted that annual fees at private medical colleges in Rajasthan range between Rs 18.9 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, making them unaffordable for many EWS students.

In response, the court suggested that students facing financial difficulties may explore avenues such as scholarships, financial assistance schemes, or fee subventions instead of seeking mandatory fee concessions from private institutions.

With these observations, the Supreme Court declined to interfere with the Rajasthan High Court's decision, effectively upholding the view that EWS reservation benefits do not automatically extend to fee reductions in private medical colleges after admission.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar