The Lahore High Court (LHC) has upheld the fee cap set by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on private medical college fees in Pakistan. The court dismissed petitions by private colleges that had challenged the fee restrictions, and it ordered colleges to refund excess fees to students within 30 working days. The court said the PMDC has the authority to set these fees, and that no private institution can charge students without the council's approval.
What the court decided
Justice Khalid Ishaq issued the 28-page judgment. The verdict was made on a petition filed by the University of Faisalabad, through Imran Nazir and others. The court found that the fee cap does not violate the Constitution.
The court also said medical education cannot be treated solely as a business. It noted that the colleges had earlier approached the PMDC themselves, which meant they could not then challenge the fee restrictions. Taken together, these points left the colleges with little room to argue against the cap.
Refunds and the 30-day deadline
The court accepted petitions filed by students and ordered the colleges to return excess fees within 30 working days. The judgment named two colleges and set out the amounts. The University of Faisalabad's medical college must refund more than Rs841,000 to each student, while FMH College Lahore must return more than Rs741,000 per student.
The judgment has been declared a judicial precedent, a ruling that lower courts are expected to follow in similar cases. The court also warned that any retaliatory action against students could lead to contempt of court proceedings. Contempt means defying or disrespecting a court's order, and it can bring penalties.
Who is affected
For families paying private medical college fees in Pakistan, the verdict sets a clear rule: fees need the council's approval before they are charged. Students who paid more than the approved amount are the ones covered by the refund order. The 30-working-day deadline will show how quickly colleges act on the order.
The medical college fee verdict is the latest court decision on this issue, and it confirms that the PMDC's role in setting fees is legally backed.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lahore High Court ne private medical colleges ki fees par PMDC ki fee cap ko barqarar rakha hai. Adalat ne colleges ki darkhwastein radd kar di hain aur kaha hai ke zyada li gayi fees 30 working days mein wapas karni hogi. Agar aap ya aap ke bachon ne private medical college mein zyada fees di hai, to yeh faisla aap ke liye ahem hai. Students ko tang karne par contempt of court ki warning bhi di gayi hai.
