HYDERABAD, Dec 31: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued notices to vice-chancellor and registrar of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences on a petition filed by a student who claimed the university had charged her more than prescribed under laws.

The petitioner Samreen Memon represented by Amjad Sahito advocate said she got admission to the LUMHS under self-finance scheme in 2004-05, passed first year in 2006 and then appeared in examination for the second year held in March this year and deposited a fee of Rs175,000.

Unfortunately, she could not get through multiple choice questions (MCQ) papers of pharmacology and pathology general and when she desired to reappear in the MCQs of these subjects, she was asked to pay entire fee for all subjects, she said.

She said that she had paid Rs175,000 at the time of admission to the first professional year and submitted a bank guarantee of Rs700,000 out of which the university deducted fee for the first and second years.

Before that, the director of admissions had written a letter to the manager of the bank branch where she had her account and asked him to send Rs175,000 in shape of bank draft as advance fee for third year MBBS out of her bank guarantee, which was sent on Feb 22, 2007, she said.

She said that she had to sell off her gold ornaments to deposit an amount of Rs59,000 as an instalment and she appeared in examination of the second professional MBBS bi-annual in June 2008 but she remained unsuccessful again in the MCQs of pharmacology and passed pathology MCQs.

When she opted for reappearing for the third time in the MCQs of pharmacology she was directed to pay Rs175,000 in full.

She said that the demand was not justified in case of a failure student and was against the policy of education for all as regular students of MBBS were not asked to pay fee in full for appearing in one paper.

If a student reappeared in a subject it did not require any expert assistance or professional expertise by the university neither did he attend classes nor use laboratory equipments, therefore, demand for fee for all subjects was totally unjustified, rather illegal, she said.

She said that the amount deposited by the petitioner had been extorted by the university authorities though law did not permit it thus it should be returned to her.

She said that in other universities of Sindh students were not asked to pay additional tuition fee if a student reappeared in the subject. If interim relief was not granted, the petitioner would lose a year because the examination forms were being filled and last date had been announced as Jan 10, 2009, she said.

She said that interim relief had been given in an identical case and prayed the court to declare that rule of recovery of whole fee of Rs175,000 for allowing to reappear in one MCQ was illegal.

She said that she should be allowed to deposit examination fee as prescribed for appearing in examination of MCQ pharmacology for regular students. She said that the university should be directed to return Rs59,000 or adjust the amount towards fee for future classes. The court adjourned the hearing to Jan 5.