Dhaya College of Engineering, managed by M.K. Alagiri Educational Trust, at Sivarakottai near here filed a writ petition in Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday challenging an order passed by Anna University of Technology (AUT) - Madurai on Saturday (August 20) denying affiliation to the college for the academic year 2011-12.
Filing an affidavit on behalf of the college, its Principal M. Pandi Kumar claimed that such denial was not in consonance with an order passed by a Division Bench of the High Court on August 10 to consider the college's plea for recognition in accordance with law within ten days. He also attributed political motives behind refusal to grant affiliation.
The affidavit, filed through the college's counsel R. Janakiramulu, stated: “The very object of the Trust for running the college is for weaker sections and thus the interest of students from weaker sections has been defeated and the students in the locality were denied education in the petitioner college. Unless the college is given affiliation, great injustice will be caused to them.”
The AUT had initially refused affiliation to the college last month by citing three deficiencies — shortage of 175 books in Humanities and Science stream in the college library, location of a cafeteria close to the classrooms and non-availability of transport facilities to the college located 36 kilometres away from Madurai city limits.
Then, the institution filed a writ petition in the Bench. Disposing of the case on August 1, a single judge of the High Court directed the university to grant affiliation if the deficiencies had been rectified as claimed by the college.
However, the university took the matter on appeal and a Division Bench of the court modified the order thereby directing the university to consider the plea of the college.
Subsequently, the university sent a new team of officials to the college on Friday for conducting a comprehensive inspection without sticking to the three deficiencies pointed out by them earlier. The team raised “irrelevant” questions about acquisition of land for the college, its location near water bodies, absence of permission to convert the wet lands and so on, the petitioner claimed.
Not fair
“The university is not fair in referring to new defects which were not pointed out earlier. The District Collector, Madurai is appeared to have sent a report to the university behind the back of the petitioner that the petitioner should not be given affiliation… The Collector has no business whatsoever either in the recognition or affiliation process,” the affidavit read.
