Latest news with #2015Act
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
FRA warns colleges against charging excess fees
Pune: In a significant directive, the Maharashtra Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) has directed all private professional colleges across the state to refrain from collecting any deposits or fees beyond the officially approved amounts. The authority has also warned that strict action will be taken against institutions if students or parents report violations of this mandate. The order was issued on August 10. FRA warns colleges against charging excess fees Arjun Chikhale, FRA secretary, said, 'Colleges have been reminded that the maximum permissible deposit amount is already fixed. This guideline, framed during the FRA's meeting on August 28, 2024, and later included in the academic year 2025–26 regulations published in October 2024, clearly states that the deposit should be collected only once and not under multiple names.' The FRA has emphasised that the deposit amount must be refunded to students upon completion of their course. Further, as per Section 14(5) of the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015, no institution is allowed to collect fees exceeding the total annual cost for a given academic year. The circular comes at a time when admission processes are underway for various professional courses, including engineering, management, hotel management, and law. The authority has also cautioned that any breach of the 2015 Act or its rules will invite action under Section 20 of the Act if violations are confirmed through complaints. Chikhale said, 'Many colleges in the state offer hostel and mess facilities to students. The FRA has clarified that these amenities must remain optional and that no student should be compelled to avail them. Institutions have been instructed to ensure that opting out of hostel or mess services does not affect a student's admission or access to academic facilities'. With these directives, the FRA aims to curb unfair fee practices and ensure transparency, especially during the crucial admission period. 'Many of us have been forced to pay extra deposits, and we never get the money again. This directive will give us the confidence to question such demands,' said a parent of an engineering student 'Not every student wants to stay in the hostel or take the mess food, but colleges make it compulsory to avail the facility. The change will save us thousands of rupees every year,' said Khushi Tarekar, a student.
Business Recorder
02-08-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Closure of industrial, commercial establishments: Sindh govt, not labour court, has jurisdiction to decide cases: SC
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court declared that under the Sindh Terms of Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 2015, the jurisdiction to decide cases of closure of industrial or commercial establishment is vested in the Government of Sindh, rather than the Labour Court. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, heard appeals against the Sindh High Court (SHC) verdict. The transitory facts of the case are that the petitioner (M/s Trio Industries (Pvt) Limited) was engaged in the business of printing of ceramic tiles on finished products manufactured by other ceramic tiles production companies. Due to the advancement of technology, the process of printing tiles has become an integral part of the manufacturing process, hence the petitioner's enterprise was no more a viable venture. The petitioner on 02.03.2017 applied to the Labour Department, instead of the Sindh Government, under Standing Order 15 of the Sindh Terms of Employment (Standing Orders) Act 2015 for permission to close down the factory. During the closure process, the respondents (employees of the factory) filed their Grievance Petition before the Labour Court and alleged that due to trade union activities, the petitioner has decided to remove them from service. They asserted that no proper application was moved to the Government of Sindh for seeking their approval in the closure of the establishment, which was the wrong method. SC determines right meaning of FMCG products The Sindh Labour Court, Karachi, dismissed the grievance petitions. The respondents then filed appeals under Section 48 (3) of the Sindh Industrial Relations Act, 2013 (SIRA). The Sindh Labour Appellate Tribunal, Karachi directed the petitioner to deposit the stipulated amount of compensation within one month. The petitioner filed a constitution petition before the Sindh High Court, which was also dismissed. The petitioner's stance was that the Joint Director, Labour, represents the government and the application for closing down the establishment was rightly submitted to him, as he was the proper authority for submission of such application, and hence, intimation or notice to the Chief Secretary, Sindh, was not required. The judgment noted that under Standing Order 15 of the 2015 Act, an application for closing down the establishment was to be moved to the Government of Sindh, rather the Labour Department. If, under Standing Order 15, the application for permission to close down was not decided within 15 days of its submission, the said application could be deemed to have been granted/allowed, it added. It said there must be some well structured procedure and mechanism to deal with and decide the applications submitted to the Government of Sindh for closing down the establishment in terms of Standing Order 15 of the 2015 Act. 'No doubt, the powers are given to the government, but there is no procedure to decide such application except providing the outer limit of 15 days; that, too, is in favour of the employer, to presume that his application is allowed if it was not decided or responded to within 15 days. Therefore, a clean slate is accorded to the employer to immediately shut down the whole business/establishment without checking whether the action is bona fide or mala fide or, while doing so, if the full and final accrued dues of employees have been settled or not. 'On the contrary, while assuming jurisdiction to accord permission, it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure that the close down is bona fide and permission is granted after ensuring the payment of dues to the employees.' The judgment said there is a need to enact a fool-proof procedure to deal with, examine, and decide such applications after hearing the employer and employees/their representative/Trade Union/CBA, and then render a speaking order so that an aggrieved person may file an appeal in the Labour Court in terms of Standing Order 15 of the 2015 Act. The court recommended that some necessary amendments in the 2015 Act or some rules or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are required to be enacted in the best interest of workers, to save them from unlawful removal from service in case of mala fide attempts/schemes, and also from deprivation of their lawful dues in case bona fide of employer is proved. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
India Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Kerala High Court rejects Governor's appeal on Vice Chancellor appointments
The Kerala High Court has upheld its earlier ruling that annulled the temporary appointments of Vice Chancellors (VCs) to two state universities by the former Governor. A division bench comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice PV Balakrishnan upheld the single judge verdict, stating that the temporary appointments made at Kerala Digital University and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University were not legally Governor, who also is the Chancellor of the universities, had filed the appeal challenging the single bench order that deemed the appointments procedurally flawed. The court found merit in the original observation that the appointments had bypassed the proper legal case concerns the Governor's decision to appoint Ciza Thomas as the temporary Vice Chancellor of Kerala Digital University and K Sivaprasad as APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University VC. These appointments were made through separate notifications issued on November 27, 2024. The division bench observed that the University Grants Commission Regulations of 2010 and 2018 do not address temporary VC appointments pending regular ones. It referred to Section 13(7) of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University Act and Section 11(10) of the Kerala Digital University Act, which allow the Chancellor to appoint a temporary VC only for up to six months, and only with the state government's court held that the Chancellor had no authority to appoint anyone as VC 'until further orders,' as was done in these cases without the required recommendation. It upheld the single judge's decision to strike down those appointments, saying there was no reason to interfere with the May 19, 2025, judgment. The writ appeals were High Court also noted that the prolonged absence of regular VCs had harmed the functioning of both universities and affected students. It urged the Chancellor and the state government to act promptly and appoint full-time VCs without case involved two writ appeals: One challenged the annulment of Ciza Thomas's appointment as VC of Kerala Digital University. The court noted her appointment violated the 2021 Act, which requires state government recommendation. However, it did not remove her, as her six-month term was ending on May second related to K Sivaprasad's temporary appointment as VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. The court found that the Chancellor had not followed Section 13(7) of the 2015 Act, which also requires a government recommendation. As his tenure was nearly over, the court did not intervene. - Ends IN THIS STORY#Kerala
Korea Herald
06-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
US keeps S. Korea on its 'monitoring list' for FX policy
The United States has kept South Korea on its list of countries to monitor for their foreign exchange policies, a Treasury Department report showed Thursday, as currency policy has been a topic in trade talks between Seoul and Washington. The department released the updated "monitoring list" in the semiannual "Report to Congress on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States." South Korea was put back on the list in November last year after it was excluded in November 2023 for the first time since April 2016. The latest monitoring list comprises South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. All except Ireland and Switzerland were on the list in the November 2024 report. The report ascribed South Korea's inclusion on the list to its bilateral trade surplus and material current account surplus. It pointed out that Korea's current account surplus increased considerably during the report period, reaching 5.3 percent in 2024, up from 1.8 percent a year prior -- a rise driven by the goods trade. It also said that Korea should continue to limit currency intervention to exceptional circumstances involving disorderly foreign exchange market conditions. The department vowed to use "all available tools" to implement strong countermeasures against "unfair" currency practices. "President Trump is committed to pursuing economic and trade policies that will spur an American revitalization marked by strong economic growth, the elimination of destructive trade deficits, and countering unfair trade practices," the report read. "This includes combating unfair currency practices that facilitate competitive advantage, such as unwarranted intervention in currency markets." US trading partners are put on the list when they meet two of the three criteria set by the US Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, also known as the 2015 Act. The criteria are a bilateral trade surplus with the US of at least US$15 billion, a material current account surplus of at least 3 percent of gross domestic product and persistent, one-sided intervention in the foreign currency market for at least eight months during a year and with net purchases totaling at least 2 percent of an economy's GDP over a 12-month period. (Yonhap)
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'Order appointing KTU temporary V-C unsustainable': Kerala HC
KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday declared unsustainable in law a notification issued by the Chancellor appointing K Sivaprasad, Professor, Department of Ship Technology, CUSAT, as temporary V-C of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. Justice Gopinath P, while allowing a petition filed by the state government, however, made it clear that the declaration will not have the effect of dislodging Sivaprasad from the office as his tenure is to expire on May 27. Besides, the court observed that it need not at present interfere with the appointment as frequently changing persons holding the office may not be conducive to the interest of the university and its students. The court directed the government to take steps to recommend to the chancellor the names of persons possessing the qualifications prescribed by the UGC, who can be appointed as a temporary V-C of the university pending the selection of a V-C on a regular basis. The government should take steps to fill the post of V-C of the university in accordance with the provisions contained in Section 13 of the 2015 Act on a regular basis, keeping in mind the provisions of the UGC Regulation on Minimum Qualification for Appointment of Teachers in Universities and Colleges, 2018. The court clarified that the UGC Regulation on Minimum Qualification for Appointment of Teachers in Universities and Colleges, 2018, will govern the method of appointment of the V-C of the university, notwithstanding any contrary provision in the 2015 Act.
