HYDERABAD: In a significant development, the High Court on Monday stayed the proceedings issued by the principal secretary to higher education, Telangana government, on June 11 this year “confining” fee reimbursement scheme to some students. The court directed the respondent authorities to file counter affidavits on the matter.
Justice A Rajasheker Reddy passed this interim order on a petition filed by the Association of Christian Professional Colleges, represented by its general secretary KVK Rao, and other colleges of the city seeking directions to the authorities concerned to release funds under the fee reimbursement scheme to the students allotted to the petitioner colleges under the EAMCET convenor quota.
The case of the petitioners is that the proceedings were issued confining the scheme benefits only to the students who were admitted under Window 1 (seats filled under convenor quota) and not to those admitted under Window 2 (seats filled by colleges as per EAMCET ranks) and Window 3 (seats filled by colleges by conducting entrance test on their own).
The colleges were directed to inform the same to the students.
Petitioner’s counsel S Sri Ram told the court that no discrimination was shown towards the students in the GO on the fee reimbursement scheme and it was extended to all the eligible students. The scheme was intended to encourage students belonging to SC, ST, BC, EBC, minorities and the disabled. But government authorities had issued the proceedings contrary to the GO first issued on the reimbursement scheme. Already, the petitioner colleges had completed the admission process and issue of such proceedings at this stage was not proper, he argued and urged the court to set aside the impugned proceedings.
Taking these submissions into consideration, the judge stayed the impugned proceedings and directed the senior officials of higher education, social welfare and Telangana State Council for Higher Education to file counter affidavits.
