HC orders holding back of Clauses 3,5 of AICTE public notice

Chennai, Mar 6 (UNI) Madras High Court today ordered to keep in abeyance Clauses three and five of a Public Notice issued by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which gave several directions, including the one that all institutions should apply for AICTE's approval on or before March 7, 2006.

Mr Justice D Murugesan passed the order while posting to March 15, further hearing of the petitions filed by SRM Institute of Science and Technology and some other Deemed Universities (DUs).

In their petitions, the varsities soght to quash records relating to a public notice issued by the AICTE on February 16, 2006 as well as clauses 3 and 5 and the offending words +all institutions+ and consequently restrain AICTE from interfering with the affairs of the petitioners in any manner without authority of law.

According to the petitioners, the advertisement caused misleading information with reference to right of AICTE over Deemed Universities. The clauses in question stated that no university, including Deemed, shall conduct technical courses/programmes without ensuring maintenance of the norms and standards prescribed by the AICTE. No admission authority/body/institutions shall admit students to a course/programme of technical education not approved by the AICTE.

It also stated that all institutions should apply for AICTE approval on or before March 7.

All the affairs, including the financial status, maintenance of standard of teaching, conducting examination, conferring degrees, starting new department or courses are exclusively controlled by the UGC, the petitioners contended.

UNI XR VV MSJ HT2002