HC order on Alagiri's engineering college plea

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court today directed Anna University to consider the application of an engineering college run by former union minister M K Alagiri-family administered trust for continuation of affiliation.
Dismissing a petition by the college management to accept the certificate issued by the chartered engineer with regard to the stability of the college building, Justice M.Venugopal asked the university to consider affiliation bearing in mind the paramount interest of the students who were in the academic batches for 2014-15 and 2015-16.
The Judge said the university had asked the Dhaya College of Engineering, run by Alagiri Education Trust, to produce the building stability certificate from the PWD Superintending Engineer as as per the statutory requirement and it could not be faulted for this.

The Supreme Court also had held that furnishing the building stability certificate as per requirements (from PWD) could not be dispensed with, he said.
The certificate issued by the chartered engineer was not a substitute for structural stability issued by the PWD Superintending Engineer.
The Judge said the dismissal of the petition would not preclude the college to submit a representation to the university seeking to grant continuation of affiliation to the college for 2016-17.
"If such a representation is received, the authorities may consider with a humane and sympathetic consideration and pass necessary orders," the judge said.
The college, set up in 2011, had been waging legal battles with the university over the affiliation.