New Delhi: Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by state government and medical students opposing the Kerala High Court verdict that would enable the drastic increase in fees in self-financing medical colleges, on next Wednesday. The Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices R Nageshwar Rao and Raveendra Bhatt stated that the issue that has been contested since 2016 cannot be postponed any further.

SC bench led by Chief Justice SA Bobde had sent a notice on the petition filed by the state government against the High Court verdict pronounced on May, 2020. Senior Advocate Jaydeep Gupta and Standing Counsel, G Prakash, who appeared on behalf of the state, argued that High Court does not have the authority to instruct the Fee Regulatory Committee to determine the annual fees as the case is under SC’s consideration.

However, SC pointed out that there was no interim stay on the verdict. The court also asked what was the government’s concern with the Regulatory Committee taking a decision based on the High Court order. The state government responded that the High Court’s verdict was in violation of Islamic Academy case judgement.

Lawyers Dushyant Dave, Shyam Divanand, Harris Beeran and Sulfikkar Ali who appeared for the managements of self-financing medical colleges, claimed that Kerala government approached the Supreme Court by hiding the facts. Dushyant Dave claimed that although the chairman of Fee Regulatory Committee is a retired judge, he still acts like a High Court judge. He acts like court judgements are not applicable to him, he added.