HC stays AICTE order withdrawing approval for eng courses

Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar also directed the Director of Technical Education, Maharashtra, to display on the government website the names of colleges of the petitioner-institution for admission to degree and diploma courses in engineering for academic year 2012-13.

Though AICTE granted approval for engineering courses conducted by this institution for academic year 2012-13, almost at the same time, it also withdrew the approval for the courses for the academic year 2011-12.

"This has created an anomalous situation for the petitioner. We find that the petitioner has succeeded in establishing a case for interim relief," the judges observed.

"If no relief was granted, the petitioner will not be able to admit students during year 2012-13 as per the approval granted in May 2012 to the institution as the online process will close shortly," the bench said in its order last week.

The court also accepted a statement of the petitioner assuring that it had removed deficiencies in infrastructure pointed out by AICTE for withdrawing approval for engineering courses for academic year 2011-12.

The institution also gave an undertaking to the Court that it would appoint requisite number of qualified Associate Professors and Professors within a period of two months.

The judges, however, clarified that this interim order is confined to the two colleges of the petitioner -- one running degree engineering course and the other operating diploma engineering course. As far as the other colleges (run by the petitioner) are concerned, it would be open to the petitioner to file separate petitions. (MORE)