The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to grant immediate relief to the ILS Law College in its challenge against Savitribai Phule University Pune(SPPU)’s decision to drastically reduce the ‘other fees’ charged for its three-year and five-year LLB courses.The matter has been listed as urgent due to the Common Entrance Test (CET) admission process. ILS had approached the court against SPPU’s April 30, 2026 communication fixing the ‘other fees’ at Rs 4,340 for the academic year 2026-27, compared to Rs 36,790 collected by the college in 2025-26.During the hearing, the ILS counsel sought the court’s protection and requested permission to continue to display or collect the higher fee amount during the admission. The college also offered a pledge to refund any excess amount if their writ petition ultimately failed. However, the bank refused to pass such an order.The court indicated that the ILS could inform the CET Cell that the university had fixed “other fees” at Rs 4,340 and that its challenge to the decision was still pending. The bank also observed that if the college succeeds in the later case, it can seek to recover the additional amount instead of charging the students the higher rate upfront and then repaying it later.The dispute arose from allegations that ILS had collected “other fees” under the heading of maintenance, facilities and other activities without the required statutory approval. Following a complaint by a student, the High Court had earlier ordered an inquiry by the state higher education department. After the investigation, the state ordered the university to refund the alleged excessive fees.The ILS Law Society and the college filed this petition on June 15, arguing that SPPU’s decision to reduce fees was “arbitrary, unilateral and without any authority” and was taken without giving the institution the opportunity to be heard. The High Court will hear the case again on June 29.
