Govt.-deemed varsities legal row keeps students on tenterhooks

By K.Ramachandran and

A. Subramani

CHENNAI, JULY 26. Hundreds of families throughout Tamil Nadu are watching with dazed confusion, the on-going legal battle between the ``Deemed-to-be universities'' and the State Government.

While hundreds of students have been admitted by the deemed universities ``on their own'', a similar number has secured admission on merit under the single window counselling system. Parents feel that whatever be the outcome of the case, the interest of the students could be seriously affected.

The University Grants Commission this year gave deemed university status to three engineering colleges. Tamil Nadu already has two such institutions (SRMC and Avinashalingam Institute).

The Government decided this year that regardless of their status all these institutions would be brought under the single window admission system for professional courses. The affected colleges challenged the decision and obtained an interim stay. Immediately upon getting the stay order, they admitted students. They now claimed that there was nothing wrong in their admission system, which was based on their deemed university status. The single judge, who gave the interim order, later vacated the stay after a plea from the Government. Two institutions went on appeal and the First Bench of the High Court refused to grant any stay, but said the counseling and admission could go on subject to the outcome of the appeals. The case was adjourned for a week and posted before a specially constituted bench.

The bench asked UGC to be suo motu impleaded in the case, and sought its views. The Commission, in a common affidavit, took strong exception to the Tamil Nadu Government's stand and called it an `unwanted interference'.

Amid these legal wranglings, the colleges by themselves had filled the available seats. Based on the court's interim direction, the Government authorities have admitted another set of students through the `counselling mode'.

Both groups of students await the result of the case with anxiety.

Meanwhile, the first set of students admitted to engineering courses through counselling have been given a July 30 deadline for joining the colleges, lest the fees they paid would get forfeited. However, officials say the students need not be perturbed for the present. As it was only the Government which had issued the orders for joining the courses, the students' interests would be protected.

However, there is another concern. If the institutions' case was allowed, those admitted through the SWS would have to be re- allotted. The students fear is that they may be able to secure seats only from among the available matrix. This would mean that those who secured higher marks may end up selecting branches/colleges that went abegging in the earlier counselling sessions.

The other alternative for the Government may be for creating additional seats in those colleges where the candidates want to be admitted, in line with their ranking. The colleges concerned, the AICTE and the universities would all have to ratify the new strength.

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