HC raps National Siddha Institute

The Madras High Court has pulled up the National Institute of Siddha (NIS) authorities here for admitting a student to a research programme sans recognition.
Justice N Kirubakaran directed the NIS, an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of AYUSH, to submit a report on its various aspects including the courses recognised and the budgetary grants for the last 10 years besides the faculty positions and adjourned the matter to March 22.
He gave the directions on a petition by I Nithyamala, who has been selected for a PhD programme in Gunapadam subject though recognition for the department had not been renewed.

"Admitting the students without getting recognition for the research programme is not correct. This itself would show as to how the NIS is being administered by the Central government," the judge said.
Though the institute was inaugurated in 2005 with much fanfare, the case on hand would show how NIS was not being administered properly, he said.
He directed the authorities to submit a report with details on the number of departments, recognition for courses, infrastructure for the post-graduate and research programmes, the vacancies of faculty, central budgetary allocation made in the past 10 years among others.
The petitioner submitted she was intimated in July 2016 that recognition for the department of Gunapadam had not been renewed since 2015.

She prayed the court to allow her to join the course by granting eligibility certificate and provisional registration.