Higher Education Minister KP Anbalagan, speaking to reporters on Sunday said that severe action will be taken against colleges that hold back the hall-tickets of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students before their semester exams.

"Many students suffered a lot when colleges held back their hall-tickets after post-matric scholarships from Centre was stopped for management seats. The State government has promised to pay the scholarship instead, and colleges must not hold back students' hall tickets if the fees has not been paid," he said adding that severe action will be taken on institutions that do so.