New Delhi, 24 June

"We need doctors in this country," the Supreme Court said on Wednesday while refusing to entertain a petition that alleged that the fee structure in private medical colleges in Rajasthan was exorbitant.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a plea challenging an order of the Rajasthan High Court.

The high court had dismissed a petition filed by a medical aspirant who alleged that the tuition fee in private medical colleges in Rajasthan ranges between Rs 18.90 lakh and Rs 25 lakh per annum, and it was wholly incompatible with the income ceiling of Rs 8 lakh for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) eligibility.

During the hearing, the apex court said one cannot say that self-financing institutions should charge the same fee as charged by the government institutions.

The bench observed, "One person cannot say that it is exorbitant in private institutions and make it on par with government institutions."

The counsel appearing for the petitioner referred to the fee structure in Rajasthan and said it goes up to Rs 25 lakh.

The bench observed that one has the option to avail scholarship.

"We need doctors in this country," it said.

"We don't find any reason to interfere with the impugned order passed by the high court. The special leave petition is dismissed. Question of law, if any, is kept open," the bench said.

The petitioner had contended before the high court that the fee regulatory committee was duty-bound to frame a fee structure that was rational, equitable and commensurate with the financial constraints of the EWS candidates.

The plea said the petitioner had appeared in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate)-2025 under the EWS category.