Disallow counselling, HC tells AICTE

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Commissioner of Technical Education in Chennai not to permit engineering colleges which have not obtained necessary approval from the AICTE and from the universities concerned, to participate in the counselling.Justice D Hariparanthaman gave the direction on July 21 while disposing of two writ petitions from Sun College of Engineering and Technology at Erachakulam village in Kanyakumari district. Among other things, the college prayed for a direction to the Technical Education Commissioner to include it for admission of students under the single window counselling, pending production of approval from the AICTE for 2010-11.During the course of arguments, counsel for the petitioner college brought to the notice of the judge the proceedings dated June 14, 2011 of the Technical Education Commissioner, wherein the self-financing colleges were asked to furnish particulars to permit the students to be admitted to their colleges without affiliation by the university concerned and the approval from the AICTE.The judge observed that the action of the Commissioner in permitting the colleges to participate in counselling without approval from the AICTE and affiliation from the university was per se illegal. It was stated that thousands of students got admitted through counselling that was taking place from July 7 last.“In the circumstances, I hereby direct the Commissioner, in future, particularly in the coming years, not to permit the engineering colleges for counselling without approval from the AICTE and without affiliation from the universities concerned,’’ the judge said.In the present case, the AICTE counsel submitted that the petitioner college was granted the approval.