HC restrains AICTE from taking coercive action against TN

The Madras High Court today restrained All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) from taking any coercive action against the self-financing Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu for not subscribing to particular e-Journals detailed in the approval process Hand Book for the academic year 2015-16.
The order was passed by Justice T S Sivagnanam on a petition by the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu.
"In the light of earlier order passed by this court and taking note of the pendency of the earlier writ petition of 2012 in which an interim order was passed to the effect that the AICTE is restrained from taking any coercive action against the institutions for not subscribing to the particular Journals, there will be a similar direction in this writ petition also restraining the AICTE from taking any coercive action for the academic year 2015-16," the Judge said.

Counsel R Nararajan for the consortium submitted that as in 2012-13, AICTE had again in the present academic year 2015-16 insisted upon the purchase of e-journals from a particular supplier on payment of cash as a pre-condition to grant extension of renewal for the institutions.
He submitted that AICTE can prescribe the syllabus, but canot insist the managements to purchase particular Journal from a particular supplier and to make remittance in demand draft in US dollars.
He further submitted exactly similar conditions in 2012-13 hand book are under injunction and the same is in operation as not vacated. Hence insisting on the same conditions in 2015-16 hand book is subjudice and against all legal provisions.