Date:04/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/04/stories/2006030417940500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Deemed varsities move High Court

Special Correspondent

Want AICTE's offending public notice quashed

CHENNAI: Two deemed universities that witnessed student unrest in the past few days have moved the Madras High Court seeking to quash a public notice issued by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on February 16.

The notice said "all institutions" offering technical education should apply for AICTE approval on or before March 7.

In their petitions, the SRM Institute of Science and Technology and the Sathyabama Deemed University have stated that clauses 3 and 5 of the notification needed to be quashed as the words "all institutions" offended deemed universities. They sought to restrain the AICTE from "interfering with the affairs" of the deemed universities, and said information in the council's press advertisement was "misleading." They submitted that there was no scope for any other authority such as the AICTE to interfere with their affairs such as the financial status, maintenance of standards, teaching, conducting examinations and starting new departments. The advertisement "misled the students and parents, besides the public, giving an impression that every deemed university is legally obligated to obtain the AICTE approval."