ILS Law College Moves Bombay High Court as Over 950 Students Demand Rs 10 Crore in Fee Refunds
Pune, 7th May 2026: The Indian Law Society (ILS), which manages the prestigious ILS Law College in Pune, has approached the Bombay High Court to challenge a state directive that could potentially trigger a financial liability of approximately Rs 10 crore. The institution’s legal move follows a wave of refund applications from over 950 students and alumni, following a landmark state order in favor of a single student.
The controversy began when the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE), Maharashtra, directed ILS Law College to refund Rs 1.04 lakh plus 6% interest to a final-year student, Mayur Suhas Garud. Garud had alleged that the college collected unauthorized and excessive fees under “other activity” heads for multiple academic years.
However, what started as an individual dispute has quickly snowballed into a major crisis for the institution. Emboldened by the DHE’s order, approximately 930 additional students and alumni have submitted similar applications for refunds. Student representatives and social media campaigns have estimated the total claim amount at over Rs 10 crore, a figure that the college management argues would cause “irreparable loss” to the institution.
In its writ petition filed before the Bombay High Court, the Indian Law Society has sought to quash the DHE orders dated April 13 and April 15, 2026. The college contends that the state’s directive is arbitrary and was issued without providing the management a copy of the investigative committee’s report or a fair hearing—a clear breach of the principles of natural justice.
The college maintains that all fees charged between 2018 and 2025 were in accordance with Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) directives. They argue that while formal approval for revised fee structures has been pending with the University’s Fee Fixation Committee since 2023, the institution was explicitly permitted to continue charging existing fees in the interim.
Furthermore, ILS has accused the lead complainant of orchestrating a “defamatory smear campaign” and instigating other students through social media and press conferences to file mass refund requests. The petition claims the student’s actions are driven by “personal vengeance” related to his previous resignation as a contractual faculty member at the college.
Seeking urgent intervention, ILS Law College has requested the High Court to stay the implementation of the refund orders and restrain state authorities from taking coercive actions, such as excluding the college from the upcoming 2026-27 centralized admission process.
