Telangana HC allows engineering colleges to collect fees if govt fails to pay

The order came after hearing arguments in a group of 14 petitions filed by different private colleges.

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has passed an interim order allowing private engineering colleges to collect tuition fees directly from students who are eligible under the fee reimbursement scheme if the government does not release the payments from the academic year 2026-27.

Justice Juvvadi Sridevi made it clear that this decision is only a temporary arrangement. The judge also directed that colleges must return the fees to students if the petitions filed by the institutions are dismissed during the final decision.

Petitions filed by engineering colleges in Telangana

The order came after hearing arguments in a group of 14 petitions filed by different private colleges.

The fee reimbursement scheme was introduced in 2008 in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.

During the hearing, engineering colleges said they are facing serious financial problems due to non-payment of large amounts under the Telangana government scheme. They stated that it has become difficult to manage daily operations, including paying salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff.

Government’s stand

On the other hand, the government informed the court that due to budget sessions, it could not provide clear instructions regarding the release of funds.

The court noted that despite several chances, no counter affidavits were filed by the government within the given time. The judge also observed that there is no clear timeline for releasing the pending payments, which is affecting the functioning of the colleges.

The case has been posted for further hearing on April 30.