Pending medical fee of `65 lakh to be paid in installments

College student , KIMS strike a compromise before HC

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Bengaluru: A 22-year-old medical student and the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) have arrived at a compromise before the High Court of Karnataka by which the latter will collect the pending Rs.65 lakh fee from the student in installments.

The student paid Rs.10,00,000 out of the pending fee and expressed his inability to pay the remaining Rs.65,60,000. However he put forth a proposal for payment of the balance in installments which was accepted by the college.

Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur recorded this in his judgement thus, “It is also the contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner that he would pay the balance amount of fee in installments due to the precarious condition of the petitioner. This aspect of the matter has been considered by the respondent No.2 – college and has filed a memo stating they are willing to accept the proposal of the petitioner for payment of the balance arrears amount of fee in terms of the affidavit of the petitioner (student) dated 28.03.2023.”

The student has already completed his undergraduate MBBS medical course and presently doing his internship. The aspiring doctor was not allowed to take up the examination of the final year MBBS course for non-payment of fee. The student therefore approached the High Court. The College contended that though he had not paid the arrears it had allowed him to attend the college all these years. But since the arrears had accumulated it was forced to prevent him.

According to the college, the fee was Rs.1,63,21,000 and he had paid only Rs.87,56,000. The balance was Rs.75,65,000. During the course of the case, the student paid Rs.10,00,000 to the college and filed an affidavit on March 28, 2023 to pay the balance in installments. The college agreed to it.

The HC said there was no need to pass an order on the college not allowing the student as it has agreed to the proposal of the student, “In view of the agreement entered into between the petitioner and respondent No.2 by virtue of petitioner filing an affidavit of the petitioner most specifically stated at para No.7 of the affidavit dated 28.03.2023, wherein the petitioner has agreed to pay the balance tuition and annual fee in the timeline stipulated in the said affidavit at para No.7.” The student had also sought to seek from the college waiver of the fee to any extent. The HC said it was for the college to decide how much of the pending fee it would waive off.

“This Court refrains itself from expressing any opinion or observations with regard to the same. However, respondent No.2 (college) shall consider the representation or application filed by the petitioner for consideration of waiver of any amount therein expressed according to its own rules and regulations.”