Telangana HC directs police to decide on education bodies’ meeting plea within a week

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday directed the Commissioners of Police, Hyderabad and Rachakonda, to take a decision within a week on the plea filed by the Federation of Association of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI) seeking permission to hold a state-level faculty and staff meeting on November 8 at either Lal Bahadur Stadium or Aurora College Grounds, Parvathapur.

The petition was filed by FATHI, represented by its Secretary, K Sunil Kumar, seeking a direction to the authorities to permit the proposed meeting aimed at discussing the long-pending fee reimbursement issues affecting private educational institutions across Telangana.

During the hearing, Justice NV Shravan Kumar observed that the petitioners were only seeking an opportunity to express their concerns and discuss issues of public importance.

“Where can the petitioners go to ventilate their grievance? All newspapers are reporting this issue. They are asking for permission to discuss their issues. What is wrong in their plea?” the judge remarked.

What is the fee reimbursement issue?

The petitioner’s counsel argued that despite the GO 18, dated June 27, 2008, which mandates reimbursement of tuition fees for students from Backward Classes and economically weaker sections, the Telangana Government had failed to release the pending dues amounting to nearly Rs 10,000 crore.

This delay, the counsel contended, has led to severe financial distress, with over 2,200 educational institutions — including Nursing, Law, MBA, MCA, Engineering, and other professional colleges — unable to pay staff salaries, forcing many to shut down.

Government plea for time

Appearing for the State, Government Pleader for Home, Mahesh Raje, informed the court that he had not yet received instructions from the authorities concerned and sought time to obtain the same.

After hearing both sides, the court directed the Commissioners of Police, Hyderabad and Rachakonda, to take a decision on FATHI’s representation within a week and communicate the same to the petitioners.

Private professional colleges across Telangana, under the banner of FATHI, had announced plans for a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ rally on November 10 or 11, intensifying their ongoing protest against the delay in fee reimbursement payments by the State government.The colleges have been on an indefinite strike since November 3, demanding the immediate release of pending dues under the government’s fee reimbursement scheme.As per reports, the state had promised to clear Rs 1,200 crore before Diwali, but only Rs 300 crore has been disbursed so far. FATHI president Dr N Yadaiah stated that the association rejected the government’s latest offer to release an additional Rs 300 crore, insisting instead on a minimum payment of Rs 500 crore, about half of the remaining Rs 900 crore pending amount.