HC raps state government over fees

The entire process of counselling and admissions to engineering colleges has come right back to square one with the AP High Court questioning the state government's right to determine the fee structure.

Earlier, the government had stipulated Rs.35,000 as the fees. This was challenged by more than 30 engineering colleges and the HC responded by questioning the government as to how it could determine the fee structure without consulting the Admissions and Fees Regulatory Committee (AFRC) which had been set up specifically for this purpose. The court further asked the government to consult experts on the subject and made it amply clear that stipulating the fees fell in the domain of the AFRC.
Lawyers arguing for the AFRC informed the court that the committee was yet to take a final decision on the fee structure.