In a breather to Annamalai University and students from other States pursuing distance education, the Madras High Court on Monday stayed a recent order of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which cancelled its recognition to varsity’s distance education programmes from 2015-16.
Hearing a plea by the varsity’s Registrar (In-charge) K. Arumugam, challenging the UGC’s order, Justice M.M. Sundresh granted an interim stay and further ordered issuing of notice to authorities returnable by eight weeks.
The UGC had in August 2012 informed Annamalai University that the territorial jurisdiction of State Universities, both private and government, for offering programmes distance mode cannot go beyond the boundaries of the respective States.
ADVERTISEMENT
Though a single judge of the High Court set aside the UGC’s direction in 2013, after the university moved it, a Division Bench, while hearing an appeal by the UGC against the order, held that all the admissions made in distance education outside the State would be subject to the final decision of the pending appeal, Mr. Arumugam stated in his plea.
While so, a news item published in the media earlier this month stated that the recognition to 31 universities across the country, including Annamalai University, was cancelled for not accepting the conditions laid down by the UGC and hence the plea.
Recent order cancelling recognition to distance education programmes stayed