Anna University has filed a writ appeal in the Madras High Court Bench here challenging a single judge’s order directing the university to grant provisional affiliation to Dhaya College of Engineering.
The university has challenged the order of Justice S. Manikumar, wherein he imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the university for not complying with the directions of the High Court and the Supreme Court.
In his appeal, the university’s registrar has contended that implementation of the order would amount to “the college enjoying affiliation without undergoing the due process of law as prescribed by the statutes of Anna University”.
“Without inspecting the premises (of the college), without assessing the present status of the infrastructure available in the institute and without the approval of the affiliation committee, no college can be granted affiliation by the university. There is no reason to bestow special privilege to Dhaya College of Engineering just because it is managed by a powerful and affluent family,” he has stated in the appeal filed by M. Rajarajan, the university’s counsel.
Dhaya College of Engineering was established by M.K. Alagiri Educational Trust, at Sivarakottai near Madurai in 2011. Justifying the university’s act of declining affiliation to the college, the registrar said the administrative officer of the college, the principal and the staff members were not present when the inspection committee visited the college on May 13. The request for affiliation was rejected through an order issued on May 20, 2013 because the college could not be inspected, he added.
Justice Manikumar had set aside the rejection order on June 7 after the college filed a writ petition challenging the order. He had also issued directions to the university to allot a counselling code to the college to enable it to take part in the counselling for the academic year 2013-2014 and admit students in five engineering courses — civil, computer science, mechanical, electrical communication, and electrical and electronics.
“The judge ought to have considered that Anna University has its own reputation and it has to be protected. Though the approval is granted by the AICTE, the degree would be issued only by Anna University. Therefore, before granting affiliation, the university has the right to inspect the college and be satisfied,” the registrar further said.
