A district consumer forum here has directed the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) to compensate a student a sum of over ₹4.85 lakh for “unfair trade practices”.
Stating that the institute is deficient in services for continuing to admit students despite not being recognised by the UGC or the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the consumer panel directed the institute to refund the fees collected by it from the complainant.
“It is an obvious case of misrepresentation on behalf of the respondents [IIPM] and amounts to unfair trade practice. IIPM, very well knowing since 2010 that it is no longer a university and can neither award any degree, still admitted the complainant and charged fees for full two-year course,” the consumer panel noted.
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‘No semester’
Complainant Viqar Ahmad, who took admission at IIPM in 2011 for a two-year post graduation course, alleged that students raised concerns when the institute failed to conduct semester examinations.
It was also alleged that the institute had already collected the fee for the two-year course along with a retention fee.
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Fine mental pain
The consumer panel further directed the institute to pay a sum of ₹20,000 to the complainant as compensation for mental pain, agony and legal expenses.