HC rejects disaffiliated colleges' contention

Bangalore, Mar 21 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court today rejected the contention of Nadiger College of Engineering, Bijapur, SEEBAC and Shanti Charitable Trust, which have been disaffiliated by the Visweswaraiah Technological University, that the varsity has no power to reallocate its students to other colleges.

Mr Justice Ramamohanareddy, passing orders on the interlocutory application filed by the VTU for modification of the interim order dated February 21, 2007, directing the university not to precipitate the action pursuant to disaffiliation, allowed the application and vacated the court's direction.

The VTU was earlier directed to place on record the method to be adopted for the reallocation and the university filed a memo, indicating the procedure and detail of proposed college for reallotment. The court felt that there was no doubt that the interests of students were well served by this method. Following this, the VTU issued a notification, dated February 14, 2007, disaffiliating these institutions on the grounds of shortage of experienced and qualified faculty and infrastructure required for imparting technical education as prescribed by the AICTE.

The court observed that technical education did not come free of cost as the students were made to cough up substantial amounts of fee. Gullible parents, not knowing the kind of education imparted by these institutions, send their wards with the high hope of ensuring that their wards become leaders. Therefore, maintenance of minimum standards was the need of the hour. It must be noticed that the prospectus of the colleges do not disclose the lapses and if made known, no student would have sought admission into the colleges.

Commenting on the CET, the judge said the CET had thrown caution to the winds and allotted students to these colleges in a mechanical way without informing them. This callous attitude of the CET had placed the students in this predicament and CET must take the responsibility, he observed.

Taking the varsity also to task, he observed that it exhibited only lip sympathy though it had the required wherewithal to inform the students about the lapses and it only spoke volumes of the interest shown towards the student community.

The court would pronounce orders tomorrow in a connected petition filed by IMPACT, also disaffiliated by the same notification.

UNI