The Telangana High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by 11 private engineering colleges seeking an interim direction to the state government to permit a fee hike for engineering courses beginning with the academic year 2025–26.
A bench led by Justice K. Lakshman held that the final decision regarding fee revision lies with the state government, and directed the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) to examine the representations from the colleges, determine a suitable fee structure, and submit its recommendations to the government within six weeks.
The colleges had challenged a state government order issued on June 28, 2025, which mandated that the existing fee structure applicable during the 2022–25 block period would continue into the 2025–26 academic year.
The court observed that it was inappropriate for TAFRC to delay its statutory responsibility of reviewing fee structures every three years. Justice Lakshman questioned the committee’s inaction despite the colleges having submitted their proposals in December 2024, which were reportedly discussed and recorded in TAFRC’s March 2025 meeting.
Senior advocate Avinash Desai, appearing for the colleges, argued that the proposals had already been preliminarily approved. However, government counsel Rahul Reddy countered that several colleges had sought fee hikes between 70% and 90%, which would impose an unsustainable financial burden on students and the state’s fee reimbursement program, already grappling with arrears.
The state government, citing the excessive nature of the proposed hikes, had constituted a sub-committee to examine the issue and recommend a rationalized fee fixation process.
Dismissing the plea, the court emphasized the need for a balanced and transparent approach in regulating engineering college fees and urged TAFRC to fulfil its regulatory obligations without delay.
