Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has upheld the penal actions initiated by the Intermediate Board against 109 junior colleges in the state for failing to comply with fire safety regulations over the past four years.
Despite the state’s mandate for these institutions to implement fire safety measures, many colleges cited various reasons for their non-compliance. Additionally, some of these colleges continued to enroll students even after their affiliations were cancelled by the Intermediate Board.
In response to this situation, the board imposed a significant penalty of Rs 1 lakh on each college for not adhering to fire safety norms and instructed them to pay an additional Rs 2,500 as a late fee for each student enrolled.
The Intermediate examinations are set to take place in March.
Additional Advocate General Imran Khan criticized the colleges for attempting to link the penalties with exam fees, suggesting they were deliberately delaying compliance.
He emphasized that these institutions were endangering students’ lives by neglecting necessary safety equipment.
Justice T Vinod Kumar ordered the colleges to pay the imposed penalties but provided some relief regarding the late fees by allowing them to present equivalent bank guarantees instead of immediate payment.
