Chandigarh, May 31 -- In a major relief to hundreds of parents, a Chandigarh civil court has declared the fee hike introduced by Mount Carmel School, Sector 47, in the 2017-18 academic session illegal and directed the institution to limit the increase to 8% over the previous year's fee structure. The school had raised the tuition fee from approximately Rs.2,100-Rs.2,775 a month to Rs.4,800-Rs.4,975 a month, depending on the class, court records show. The judgment came in a civil suit filed by 349 parents who had challenged the revised fee structure, stating that the school had not given any adequate justification while the decision placed an unreasonable financial burden on the families. The school had argued that the revision was necessitated by rising operational costs and that certain annual charges had been merged with tuition fees, making the increase appear larger than it actually was. After examining the records and arguments presented by both sides, the court held that the school had failed to establish sufficient grounds for imposing a fee hike beyond 8%. The judge observed that while educational institutions are entitled to revise fees to meet operational expenses, any increase must be reasonable and supported by evidence of corresponding improvements or additional facilities. Partly allowing the suit, the court directed the school to issue a revised fee structure, restricting the increase to 8% over the previous academic session. It further held that parents would be liable to pay only the revised amount and restrained the school from charging fees beyond the approved increase or taking adverse action against students on that basis....