Mohan Babu University (MBU), established by Tollywood actor Manchu Mohan Babu at Rangampeta village near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, has found itself in the middle of a controversy after the Andhra Pradesh Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APHERMC) recommended to the Andhra Pradesh govt to dissolve the university citing “serious violations and for collecting excess fees of Rs 26.17 crore” from students.Dismissing the findings of APHERMC, MBU filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh high court challenging the “incorrect” recommendations of the commission. The case will come up for hearing on Oct 14.

After receiving a barrage of complaints from the Parents’ Association of Andhra Pradesh, APHERMC carried out a detailed enquiry into the allegations and concluded that the university management was collecting “excessive fees”, much above what was permitted by the state govt, under different heads labelled as tuition fees, building fees, transport fees, etc. The regulatory body further found that the MBU management collected “excessive fees” of Rs 26.17 crore from students admitted to the institution under the govt/convenors quota between 2022 and 2024 alone.

Besides imposing a fine of Rs 15 lakh, the commission directed the MBU management to refund the excess fees (Rs 26.17 crore) it collected to the students, and also recommended to the state govt and to the UGC, AICTE and other agencies to initiate measures to cancel the university’s recognition for committing serious violations. While the MBU management has paid the fine imposed by the regulatory body, it challenged the APHERMC’s recommendations in the high court.

Responding to the controversy, MBU pro-chancellor Vishnu Manchu issued a statement on Wednesday, stating that the matter is sub judice as the high court has issued a stay order on the recommendations of APHERMC. “Mohan Babu University firmly believes that the recommendations passed by APHERMC are incorrect and that the high court will eventually render justice. It is unfortunate that a committee formed with a few members, when it should be focusing on the development of several universities facing difficulties, is creating unnecessary controversy by highlighting some administrative issues. The fact that the same commission states in its report that Mohan Babu University fully cooperated during the investigation clearly indicates that no wrongdoing was done,” Vishnu Manchu clarified in the statement.