Medical aspirants approach HC seeking fixed amount of caution money

Thirteen medical aspirants in Maharashtra have approached the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court seeking relief from the substantial upfront financial requirements imposed by private medical colleges. The students argue that the deposit money required by the colleges, in addition to regular fees, creates a significant burden for aspiring doctors and their families. They are calling for the existing deposit charges to be declared unlawful and for a ceiling limit to be established. Currently, private medical colleges in Maharashtra demand refundable payments ranging from ₹20,000 to ₹5 lakh.

Mumbai: To ease the financial burden while pursuing MBBS, 13 medical aspirants from the state approached the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court (HC), seeking a fixed amount in caution or deposit money which the private medical colleges impose on the students.

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The petitioners, who are from various marginalised sections of society, contended that they face hurdles in gaining admission to MBBS programs due to the substantial upfront financial requirements imposed by certain private medical colleges. These institutions mandate students to deposit substantial sums under multiple categories, including hostel fees, mess charges, gymkhana dues, library fees, and laboratory expenses, during the admission process.

Although the caution or deposit money is refundable upon course completion, the cumulative burden of these deposits, in addition to the regular college fees, has emerged as a formidable challenge for aspiring doctors and their families.

“The petition highlights that the imposition of such significant deposits has led students to avoid selecting 12 to 13 private colleges, subsequently resulting in higher admission cut-offs for institutions not imposing deposit fees and lower cut-offs for those that do,” a student said, adding that the petitioners failed to secure any seats in the initial and subsequent admission rounds due to this issue.

The plea further states that these fees contravene the provisions of the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fees) Act, 2015, which stipulates that private unaided professional colleges cannot levy charges beyond those determined by the state’s Fee Regulating Authority (FRA).

The petitioners also referred to an Office Memorandum issued the previous year by the National Medical Commission (NMC), which explicitly discourages colleges from imposing ‘exorbitant’ deposit fees. The directive also mandates that the interest accrued on deposit funds be factored into the institute’s expense calculation. It empowers the FRA to establish a cap on deposit amounts across colleges.

In their petition, the students beseech the court to declare the existing deposit charges unlawful and to establish a ceiling limit on deposit and caution money, thereby paving the way for greater accessibility to medical education for aspiring doctors in Maharashtra.

Currently, the 22 private medical colleges in Maharashtra demand refundable payments ranging from ₹20,000 to ₹5 lakh, with the majority requesting around ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh.

“We are running colleges without any aid from the government. To run an institute and provide quality education, we also need money. Hence, we collect this deposit money and provide receipts to the students. The amount is refunded to the students after completion of their degrees,” a trustee of a private medical college said on August 14 when HT reported on the issues faced by the students.