Background of the Case
The Telangana High Court has directed Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences and Malla Reddy Vishwavidyapeeth to return the original academic certificates of a medical graduate within one week, holding that an educational institution cannot withhold a student's personal academic documents to recover outstanding tuition fees.
Justice Juvvadi Sridevi allowed the writ petition filed by the doctor, observing that original academic certificates are the exclusive property of the student and that their retention without statutory or legal authority is unlawful.
Facts of the Case
The petitioner had secured admission to the MBBS course at Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences and submitted his original educational and entrance examination certificates to the institution at the time of admission.
After completing the MBBS course, he was issued a provisional certificate and subsequently completed the compulsory one-year rotatory internship. He also claimed to have obtained registration with the Telangana Medical Council.
According to the petitioner, he had paid approximately Rs.47.5 lakh towards tuition and other allied fees for the first four years of the course. However, due to financial constraints, he could not pay the remaining Rs.11.75 lakh towards the final-year tuition fees.
The petitioner alleged that the college consequently refused to return his original academic certificates, including his marksheets and other educational documents.
He further submitted that despite applying for the issuance of his original degree certificate, its status continued to be reflected as 'Approval Pending at Principal'.
Impact on the Petitioner's Career
The petitioner contended that the college's action had seriously affected his professional career and future educational opportunities.
He had applied for NEET PG 2026 but claimed that he could not attend the allotted postgraduate college because he did not possess the original degree certificate required for verification.
Aggrieved by the continued retention of his academic documents, he approached the High Court seeking directions for their release.
High Court's Observations
The High Court examined the circumstances surrounding the retention of the petitioner's original certificates and noted that there was no dispute regarding the fact that the documents had been submitted to the educational institution at the time of admission.
The Court further observed that the original certificates continued to remain in the institution's custody even after the petitioner had completed his course and internship.
Holding that the certificates were the petitioner's exclusive property, the Court observed:
“The said certificates, being personal and academic credentials, are undoubtedly the exclusive property of the petitioner. In the absence of any statutory or legal authority, respondent No.3 has no authority whatsoever to retain the petitioner's original certificates…. Such retention is wholly unlawful and cannot be justified on the ground of any outstanding liability”.
Outstanding Fees Cannot Justify Retention of Original Certificates
The Court made it clear that an educational institution cannot use a student's original academic certificates as security for recovering unpaid tuition fees.
It observed that even if the college had a legitimate monetary claim against the petitioner, it was required to pursue appropriate legal proceedings for recovery of the outstanding amount.
The Court specifically held:
“Even assuming that the college has any monetary claim against the petitioner, the proper remedy, if any, available is to pursue appropriate proceedings in accordance with law for recovery of its dues. However, the college cannot retain the petitioner's original certificates as security for recovery of any amount claimed by it”.
Thus, the Court distinguished between an institution's right to recover legitimate outstanding fees and its authority to retain a student's personal academic documents. The existence of a financial dispute does not, by itself, confer a legal right upon an educational institution to withhold original certificates.
Final Decision
Allowing the writ petition, the Telangana High Court directed the respondents to return the petitioner's original academic certificates within one week.
The decision reiterates that educational institutions must resort to legally permissible remedies for recovering outstanding fees and cannot deprive students of their original academic credentials merely because of unpaid financial liabilities.
Case Details
Court: Telangana High Court
Date of Decision: 7 November 2026 (reported date; exact judgment date not independently verified)
Coram: Justice Juvvadi Sridevi
Case Number: Not independently verified
