The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to grant immediate relief to ILS Law College in its challenge against Savitribai Phule Pune University’s (SPPU) decision to sharply reduce the “other fees” charged for its three-year and five-year LLB courses.The matter was listed urgently because of the ongoing 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 2026-27 academic year, compared to Rs 36,790 collected by the college in 2025-26.During the hearing, counsel for ILS sought protection from the court and requested permission to continue displaying or collecting the higher fee amount during admissions. The college also offered an undertaking to refund any excess amount if its writ petition ultimately failed. However, the bench declined to pass any such order.The court indicated that ILS could inform the CET Cell that the university had fixed the “other fees” at Rs 4,340 and that its challenge to the decision was still pending. The bench further observed that if the college succeeds in the case later, it may seek to recover the additional amount instead of charging students the higher fee upfront and then refunding it later.The dispute stems from allegations that ILS had collected “other fees” under heads such as maintenance, facilities and other activities without the required statutory approvals. Following a complaint by a student, the High Court had earlier ordered an inquiry by the state higher education department. After the inquiry, the state directed the college to refund the alleged excess fees.ILS Law Society and the college filed the present petition on June 15, arguing that SPPU’s decision to reduce the fees was “arbitrary, unilateral and without any authority” and was taken without giving the institution an opportunity to be heard. The High Court will hear the matter again on June 29.
