NON-REFUND OF FEES BY COLLEGES?

ARE YOU A VICTIM OF NON-REFUND OF FEES BY COLLEGES?

In case if you have not joined a college after paying fees and the college is not refunding fees or returning originals, please initiate following steps:

1. Lodge a written complaint with Principal of the college with photocopies of payment receipts etc and obtain acknowledgement on photocopy thereof. Alternatively, mail by speed or registered Ad post.

2. Endorse copies of complaint by speed or registered Ad post to:

A] All India Council for Technical Education [AICTE]
7th Floor, Chanderlok Building, Janpath, New Delhi-110 001

B] Chairman,
University Grant Commission [UGC]
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002

3. If you do not get refund and originals in a month, file RTI applications with AICTE and UGC by visiting following links:

Long pending?:
http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/blogs/jps50/69-any-thing-pending-govt.html

Central Govt application:
http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/blogs/jps50/19-rti-application-central-govt-info.html

4. Send photocopies of RTI application by post to Principal of the College for his information. This will be a reminder to him.

5. If still you do not get refund and originals or positive reply within one and half months, please file complaint with District Consumer Forum under The Consumer Protection Act 1986 and quote judgement dated 06-07-2010 of NATIONAL CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION, NEW DELHI in Revision Petition 3926 /2009. This judgement is available at http://164.100.72.12/ncdrcrep/judgement/00100708145925395RP392609.html

6. For filing consumer complaint, you can take free help of NGOs working for consumer protection in your area. State-wise list is available at http://www.cccindia.net/fm.asp. You may take assistance of an advocate also.

7. Relevant paragraph from advertisement No. AICTE/DPG/06(02)/2009 of AICTE is reproduced for your information:

“In the event of a student/ candidate withdrawing before the starting of the courses, the wait listed candidates should be given admission against the vacant seat. The entire fee collected from the student, after a deduction of the processing fee of not more than Rs.1000/- (Rupees one thousand only), shall be refunded and returned by the Institution to the student/ candidate withdrawing from the programme. It would not be permissible for Institutions to retain the School/ Institution Leaving Certificates in original. Should a student leave after joining the course and if the seat consequently falling vacant has been filled by another candidate by the last date of admission, the Institution must return the fee collected with proportionate deductions of monthly fee and proportionate hostel rent, wherever applicable.”

8. Similar public notice is issued by UGC vide its press note Nr. 1-3/2007 [CPP-II] dated 23-04-2007.

9. Please note that Systems do not work on their own in our country, one has to make it work. Law is only as strong as an individual is.

J.P. Shah, Junagadh [Gujarat]
Cell: 9924106490 Email: jpshah50@yahoo.co.in