New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has appointed a five-member committee, headed by former AIIMS Director Sneh Bhargava to investigate the issue of capitation fee demanded by two medical colleges located in Tamil Nadu.

One of them is said to be run by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting S Jagathrakshakan. However, Jagathrakshakan has denied the charge.

The committee will look into the media reports that officials of Shree Balaji Medical College and Sri Ramachandra University allegedly demanded capitation fees in the range of Rs 12-20 lakh to give admission to students.

"Apart from probing about the authenticity of the media reports, the committee will also investigate into the admission and fee policy of these two institutions," said Sukhadeo Thorat, Chairman UGC.

The UGC is the monitoring agency for deemed universities.