The higher education department has directed ILS Law College, Pune, to refund ₹1,04,863 collected from a student as additional fees during the academic years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2024-25, along with 6% annual interest from the respective dates of payment until the amount is refunded.
The order was issued on September 2 by Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil after the matter was reconsidered at the state government level following proceedings before the Bombay High Court.
According to the order, the college had not obtained prior approval from Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) under Section 101(7) of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, for the additional fees collected from student Mayur Suhas Garud. The government therefore held that the total additional fee of ₹1,04,863 had been collected without the requisite approval.
The government also rejected the college’s contention of “deemed approval”, observing that the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, does not provide for deemed approval for such additional fees.
The matter was reconsidered after the Indian Law Society, which runs ILS Law College, challenged an earlier government decision before the Bombay High Court. Following the court’s directions, the college was given an opportunity to present its case, and submissions from all concerned parties were considered before the fresh order was issued.
The government noted that the Maharashtra Public Universities Act came into force on March 1, 2017, while the college submitted its proposal regarding the additional fee to SPPU only on March 23, 2023.
{{/usCountry}}The government noted that the Maharashtra Public Universities Act came into force on March 1, 2017, while the college submitted its proposal regarding the additional fee to SPPU only on March 23, 2023.
{{/usCountry}}The order also pointed to a disparity between the amounts charged by the college and those subsequently fixed by the university’s fee fixation committee. For 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, the committee fixed the relevant additional fees at ₹2,714, ₹4,031 and ₹3,342, respectively, while the amounts charged to Garud were ₹36,790, ₹31,283 and ₹36,790.
The latest order follows an earlier inquiry by a four-member committee constituted by the SPPU vice-chancellor in August 2025. A separate three-member committee constituted by the Directorate of Higher Education submitted its report on March 30, 2026. In April, the government had directed the college to refund ₹1,04,863 to Garud with 6% interest.
The latest order reiterates the refund direction after reconsideration of the matter following the court proceedings.