High Court tells AICTE to approve polytechnic

Chennai: The Madras high court directed the All India Co­uncil for Technical Edu­cation (AICTE) to gran­t extension of appro­val for the academic year 2013-14 to Shanmugha Polyt­echnic College, associate of Sastra University, Tha­njavur, on or bef­ore No­vember 20. The court said the AICTE was rejecting applications on flimsy grounds.

Justice K. K. Sasidharan, while allowing a petition from the Sha­n­mugha Polytechnic College, quashed the order of the AICTE, den­yin­g extension of appr­oval to the college. The AIC­TE said that appropriate conditions should be incorporated for compliance before considering the application for extension of approval for the year 2014-15.

It was open to the statutory body to impose any or all of these conditions, the judge add­ed. “The reasons giv­en by AICTE for denial of app­roval is far from convincing. The reasons given in the impugned order wo­uld not be sufficient to de­ny extension of approval to an institution of long sta­nding.”

The judge said that there was no dispute about ill-equipped institutions offering various cou­rses in engineering. But all institutions sho­uld not be painted with th­e same brush. An apex body, like AICTE, must be in a position to identify th­e premium institutions, wh­ich should be given enc­ouragement and be made to offer good technical education by collectin­g affordable fees.

Similarly, effort should be taken to close down makeshift engineering institutions, which were a source of threat in the field of technical education, the judge observed.

The judge said that the petitioner had produced several documents to prove its status and the benefits extended to poor students. Similarly, details regarding incentives and other benefits to the faculty as well as administrative personnel were also on record. Those materials would prove to a considerable extent the claim made by the petitioner with respect to its capability and social commitment.