The Telangana High Court on Thursday passed an order for interim suspension of some specific clauses of GO Ms. 9 related to reimbursement of fee to students pursuing higher studies in private colleges.

These specific clauses of the GO refrain the managements of private educational institutions from forcing students to pay the fee who were eligible for the government’s fee reimbursement scheme. The interim suspension of the clauses came as a relief to the managements of private colleges who knocked the doors of the HC contending that they were unable to run the institutions as the government failed to reimburse the fees of students of different categories.

The interim suspension order would be in force till June 30. Justice Juvvadi Sri Devi of the HC, passing the order, sought to know from the government the details of the financial allocations in the State budget for fee reimbursement scheme. Special Government Pleader Rahul Reddy informed the bench that the government was prepared to clear the fee reimbursement dues to some extent by August 15.

Since the admission process would be completed by August 1, the government was gearing up to release the funds to ensure students were not put to any difficulties in the matter. He, however, said the Advocate General would appear and present the strategy of the government relating to fee reimbursement.

The counsels of the private colleges requested the judge to suspend the specific clauses of the GO till such time. They said the colleges would think over withdrawing the petitions if the government releases funds by August 15. The counsels appearing for the students, who got impleaded in the writ petitions filed by the colleges, said the students were worried as they joined the college with the assurance of the government paying the fee under the reimbursement scheme.