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New Delhi, Aug. 7 (PTI): The apex consumer commission has asked a Chennai school to refund Rs 25,000 that a father was “coerced” to pay as donation to admit his daughter.
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission’s directive came on K. Rajendran’s plea.
The state and the district forum had rejected Rajendran’s complaint, saying he had paid the donation voluntarily and no deficiency in service could be attributed to the school for not refunding it.
Rajendran had alleged that he was coerced to pay Rs 25,000 towards the school’s New Auditorium Project (NAP), in addition to Rs 5,220 in tuition fees and special fees, which included Rs 2,500 for the building fund. He later decided not to put his daughter in that school and asked for a refund.
Referring to a fee slip issued by the school, the apex commission said it showed the donation was a condition for accepting the tuition fees. The slip said “after the payment of NAP by demand draft and uniform by cash only the fees will be accepted”. It said: “...the element of coercion… is writ large on this document.”
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