Maharashtra minister orders ILS Law College to return Rs 1 lakh ‘excess’ fees to student

Chandrakant Patil directed ILS Law College to refund Rs 1.04 lakh in excess fees with six per cent interest to alumnus Mayur Garud.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Sep 4, 2026 01:23 PM IST

Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil (File Photo)

Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil on Wednesday ordered ILS Law College to return Rs 1,04,863 excess fees along with interest to alumni Mayur Garud. ILS Law College had challenged an order by the Director of Higher Education ordering the fee refund in the Bombay High Court.

The order says that the ‘Other than Other Fees’ charged by ILS Law College does not seem to have prior permission of Savitribai Phule Pune University as mandated under the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016. “Therefore, the amount should be refunded to Mayur Garud along with six per cent interest from the date of the receipt of the fees till the date the refund is made,” the order said.

Earlier, Higher Education Director Shailendra Deolankar on April 15 this year had similarly ruled that the fees charged by ILS Law College was in contravention of rules and must be refunded to Garud. However, the college challenged this order in the High Court.

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In court, the state government said that the previous orders would be recalled and the inquiry report prepared by the director would be served to the petitioners and their side would be heard. A fresh order was to be passed within four weeks of the court order on May 7. The order has now been passed on Wednesday.

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In a statement after the education minister’s order, Garud said, “This is no longer a case of one allegation against one institution. The fee collection practices of ILS Law College have now undergone scrutiny on three separate occasions, and on each occasion the authorities have returned findings adverse to the college regarding the collection of additional fees without the requisite approval.”

He added, “The government should now undertake a comprehensive audit of educational institutions which are collecting additional, excessive or unauthorised fees without obtaining approval from the competent university, fee fixation committee, government or other statutory authority.”

In April, after the first ruling of refund, hundreds of current and former ILS Law College students had submitted applications at the college and at the Directorate of Higher Education office to demand a similar refund of fees. This could potentially result in a refund of crores of rupees.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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