Bombay HC stays SPPU order fixing ILS law college fees, seeks fresh proposal for 2026-27

The Bombay High Court on Monday put on hold Savitribai Phule Pune University's (SPPU) order that had fixed the "other fees" for Indian Law Society's (ILS) Law College at Rs 4,340 for the 2026-27 academic year. The court also directed the college to submit a fresh fee proposal for the upcoming academic session.

A division bench of RI Chagla and Farhan Dubash observed that the college had never sought approval for the 2026-27 fee structure. The proposal submitted by ILS in February 2024 covered only the academic years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, making the university's April 30 order for 2026-27 unsustainable.

The bench also asked the university to decide the college's pending 2024 fee proposal within two weeks.

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Court finds proposal did not cover 2026-27

While examining the records, the court noted that SPPU had earlier fixed the "other fees" through orders issued in 2020 and 2021. Those rates came into effect from the 2021-22 academic year and were later extended to 2022-23.

The judges pointed out that although ILS had sought a substantial increase in these fees through its 2024 proposal, the university's fee fixation committee (FFC) had not yet approved it. Since there was no proposal before the FFC for the 2026-27 academic year, the court said the university could not have fixed the fees for that period.

Interim relief for students

As an interim measure, the High Court directed ILS Law College to submit a fresh proposal for the "other fees" it intends to charge for 2026-27 within the next two weeks. SPPU has been asked to take a decision on the proposal within four weeks of receiving it.

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The court also said that if the college collects any amount above Rs 4,340 in the meantime, the excess money must be kept in an escrow account. If the proposed higher fee is eventually rejected or struck down, the amount collected over Rs 4,340 will have to be refunded to students. The case has been posted for further hearing on August 24.