Can a college hold your certificates for unpaid fees? What the Telangana HC ruled

The petitioners had enrolled in a BTech course at the respondent college and, at the time of admission, submitted their original educational certificates, including the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and memos of diploma marks, provisional and consolidated certificates, caste certificate and Transfer Certificate (TC).

After completing the course in 2025, they sought return of the original documents to pursue higher studies. However, the college withheld the certificates, citing pending government tuition-fee reimbursement and demanded Rs 70,000 for their release.

Even after one of the petitioners paid the amount, the original certificates were allegedly not returned. The petitioners then approached the authorities, including the State Human Rights Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), but to no avail.

Justice Juvvadi Sridevi said the petitioners were entitled to the immediate return of their original certificates.

‘Lost an academic year’

According to the petitioners, they had already lost an academic year, while admissions to postgraduate courses for the academic year 2026 were due to close within three days. Unless the original certificates were returned immediately, the petitioners would suffer further irreparable loss and might be deprived of the opportunity to pursue higher education. Hence, they filed the present petition.

Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Mohd Lateef Khan submitted that though they had completed the BTech course in 2025, the university withheld the certificates on the ground that the reimbursement of tuition fees from the government was pending. Such withholding is illegal, arbitrary, and unsustainable, he stated.

Retention unlawful, can’t justify it: Order

The high court held that the college had no authority to retain the original certificates after the petitioners completed their BTech course, and such retention was wholly unjustified.

It observed that even if the college had a monetary claim against the petitioners, withholding their original certificates could not be used as a means to recover the alleged dues. The college could pursue appropriate legal proceedings for recovery instead. “Such retention is unlawful and cannot be justified on the ground of any outstanding liability,” it stated.

The court concluded that the petitioners were entitled to the immediate return of their original certificates and directed the college to return them at once upon receiving a copy of the order.