The Bombay High Court is likely to hear on Thursday a writ petition filed by ILS Law College challenging a communication from Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) that fixed the other fees for the three-year and five-year LLB courses for the academic year 2026-27 at Rs4,340, compared to Rs36,790 collected during 2025-26. The other fees refer to charges for various activities other than tuition fees, which are approved by the relevant authority for the college.
Background of the Dispute
ILS Law College became embroiled in a controversy over allegations of collecting other fees in 2025-26 under miscellaneous heads such as "other activities," "maintenance," and "facilities" without the required statutory approvals from the university. This led to a student filing a petition before the High Court, which directed the state higher education department to conduct an inquiry. Following the inquiry, the state directed the college to refund the excess fees collected.
Legal Action by the College
Against this backdrop, the ILS Law Society, the parent body of the law college, and the college itself filed a writ petition in the High Court on June 15. The petition challenges the SPPU communication as "arbitrary, unilateral and without any authority," particularly since the college was not given a hearing on the issue.
In March 2023, the college submitted a proposal for other fees to the Fee Fixation Committee (FFC) at SPPU, along with a fee challan showing the 'other activities fees' charged by the college. Despite reminders from the college, this proposal remained pending. In June 2023, SPPU wrote to the college stating that it could collect other fees as charged during the previous year (2022-23) until the final approval of its proposal.
Exclusion from Entrance Exam Scheme
The state CET cell excluded ILS Law College's name from the entrance exam scheme for the three-year and five-year LLB courses for 2023-24, citing that its fee structure was not approved by the university. The college had to secure a directive from the High Court on July 5, 2023, compelling the CET cell to include its name in the entrance exam scheme.
The petitioners further stated that their proposals for other fees for the academic years 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25, under the Maharashtra Public University (MPU) Act provisions, had not been finally decided by the FFC despite regular reminders. The matter has been pending even though the college has submitted details in response to all clarifications sought by SPPU, according to the petition.
Allegations of Arbitrary Action
The petitioners claimed that without any meeting or hearing, SPPU issued the impugned communication reducing the other head fees to Rs4,340 for 2026-27, as against Rs36,790 collected in 2025-26. As an interim measure, the petitioners have sought a stay on the SPPU communication of April 30, 2026, directions to the respondent authorities to allow the college to collect other fees as per the last academic year (2025-26), and a restraint on any coercive action regarding entrance exams or admissions.
