The Hindu : Govt. won't displace students

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 26, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Govt. won't displace students

By A. Subramani

CHENNAI OCT. 25. Bringing relief to more than 10,000 students and scores of unaided, non-minority engineering colleges, the Tamil Nadu Government has told the Madras High Court that it will not displace those who were admitted solely on the basis of entrance tests conducted by the institutions.

When a public interest litigation petition, filed by the Association of Unaided Non-Minority Engineering Colleges, came up on Thursday, the state counsel said there was no move to ``disturb'' the students.

After the undertaking was recorded, the First Bench, comprising the Chief Justice, B. Subhashan Reddy and Justice A. Kulasekaran, posted the matter for October 27. It said: ``Mr. V. Rajasekaran, Special Government Pleader (Education), seeks time till October 27. He also submits that the apprehension expressed by counsel for the petitioner, S. Prabakaran, that the students already admitted will be disturbed has no basis, and there is no such a thing in contemplation''.

The association said the Supreme Court, clarifying its order in the TMA Pai Foundation case, had stated admissions should be made by managements on the basis of common tests held by ``them or by the state or university''. The members of the association, ``under the bona fide impression and according to the instructions of the Anna University, conducted the entrance examinations and admitted students''.

Referring to last week's judgment by a Division Bench, quashing a government order, which prescribed an aggregate ranging from 50 to 60 per cent marks for various categories of students, and ruling that a minimum pass mark should be the qualification for students to appear for counselling under the single-window system, the petition said the order was ``silent about the admissions made on the basis of entrance tests conducted by the colleges and about the common entrance tests conducted by neighbouring States''.

The association said more than 10,000 students were admitted under the management quota on the basis of entrance tests conducted by the institutions and nearly 300 students, on the basis of their appearance in the common entrance tests conducted by the Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala Governments. ``There is no explicit prohibition in the interim policy regulations on admission of students, who appeared for the common entrance tests conducted by the neighbouring States''.

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