SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday reconstituted the Committee for Fixation of Fee Structure of Professional Colleges in the Union Territory, appointing retired High Court judge Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir as its chairman for a tenure of one year or until further orders. The panel has been constituted in compliance with Supreme Court directions to regulate fees charged by private professional institutions.
According to Government Order No. 1210-JK(GAD) of 2026 dated July 15, issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), the committee has been reconstituted in supersession of Government Order No. 1120-JK(GAD) of 2024 dated May 31, 2024, read with Government Order No. 1496-JK(GAD) of 2024 dated August 13, 2024. The order states that the reconstitution has been carried out in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 350 of 1993, Islamic Academy of Education and another versus State of Karnataka and others.
The committee will be headed by Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir (Retd.) as Chairman. The Administrative Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, will serve as Member Secretary for matters relating to the Health and Medical Education Department, while the Administrative Secretary, Skill Development Department, and the Administrative Secretary, Higher Education Department, will function as Member Secretaries for issues concerning their respective departments.
The panel also includes a representative of the National Medical Commission (NMC), formerly the Medical Council of India, and a representative of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as members. In addition, a chartered accountant of repute will be nominated by the chairman as a member of the committee.
The government has designated the Health and Medical Education Department to provide administrative and secretarial support to the committee. The order specifies that the committee’s tenure shall be one year or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
As per the terms of reference, the committee shall function strictly in accordance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in the Islamic Academy of Education judgment governing the regulation of fee structures in private professional educational institutions.
The government has also ordered that the terms and conditions of service of Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir as chairman of the committee shall be governed by Rule 4 of the Jammu and Kashmir Private Schools (Fixation, Determination and Regulation of Fee) Rules, 2022.
The order, issued by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government M. Raju, IAS, has been circulated to the offices of the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, the Registrar General of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, the National Medical Commission, AICTE, and the concerned departments for implementation. It also states that Hindi and Urdu versions of the order will follow.
The committee is responsible for examining and regulating the fee structure of professional colleges in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that fee determination remains transparent, fair and in conformity with the legal framework laid down by the Supreme Court while balancing the interests of educational institutions and students.
