UPSC | Prelims GS | 2026

Which statement best captures the significance of the Supreme Court ruling on fee increases in professional courses reported in the newspaper?

  1. Students should know the reasonable fee payable for the entire course at the time of admission, subject to limited exceptions
  2. Professional institutions can impose arbitrary mid-course fee hikes whenever costs rise
  3. Fee-fixation committees should be dissolved after setting the first-year fee
  4. The ruling prohibits every fee revision, including for unforeseeable extraordinary conditions

Answer

Correct Answer

Students should know the reasonable fee payable for the entire course at the time of admission, subject to limited exceptions

Explanation

Option A is correct: the Court stressed fee certainty at entry while allowing revisions only for unforeseeable or extraordinary conditions. Option B is wrong because arbitrary mid-stream hikes were rejected. Option C is wrong because committees must function continuously. Option D is too absolute because the judgment recognised narrow exceptional circumstances.

Topics: education regulation, judiciary, polity, professional-course fee predictability