Madras High Court Upholds NIA Freeze on Medical Student's Fees

The Madras High Court upheld the NIA's decision to freeze tuition fees paid by a Maoist group for a medical student. The student contested the freeze as it impeded her from getting a certificate. The court advised her to approach the NIA for remediation, questioning future extremist ties.

The Madras High Court has upheld an order by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which froze the tuition fees for a medical student at a private college in the city. The NIA alleged that the fees were paid by a Maoist organization operating out of Jharkhand.

A division bench, comprising Justices S M Subramaniam and M Jyothiraman, dismissed the petition submitted by the student challenging the NIA order. During the hearing, the student argued that the college was refusing to issue her a certificate due to the frozen fees and that she was summoned by the NIA regarding this matter.

The judges declined to interfere with the NIA's decision, advising the student to provide an explanation to the NIA and request to unfreeze the fees. The court further questioned how anyone could guarantee that diligent students wouldn't join extremist groups in the future.

(With inputs from agencies.)