Madras HC Cracks Down On An Unaffiliated College

Recently, the Honorable Madras HC dealt with an issue of similar nature. The honorable court came down heavily on an educational institution located in Tamil Nadu, which had engaged in the activity of admitting students in a particular course even when the said educational institution had been stripped of requisite affiliation and recognition.

India is blessed with a growing young population which may have the potential to contribute greatly towards national progress and development if molded and nurtured correctly, however, a young population requires quality education as well as qualified and recognized institutions to impart the said education and training on the students. 

India, despite having a young population which is willing to get educated and contribute towards the nation, suffers from a serious fallacy that is – the number of those willing to get educated is far greater compared to the present capacities of the number of qualified and recognized educational institutions present in the country.

 Therefore, the students who are unable to make it to the premier and recognized colleges and universities sometimes end up getting admitted to educational institutions which are not completely qualified or which do not bear the requisite recognition or affiliation. 

Brief Facts Of The Case:

• Arulmigu Kalasalingam College of Education is a college in Tamil Nadu which had engaged in an inappropriate act of conducting student admissions and taking-in admission for its B.Ed. course regardless of having lost its requisite affiliation and recognition

• In 2021, this said college lost the recognition given to it by the NCTE which is National Council For Teacher Education, this was due to the reason that several defects were found with this college.  

• Later, the said college also lost affiliation with the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University as the same was withdrawn by the latter. 

• Despite losing out on the required recognition and affiliation, the said college continued to engage in the activity of enrolling students into different courses.

• The University had served a caution to the said college by way of a notice, informing the college to refrain from admitting any students as it no longer possessed the requisite recognition, approval and affiliation.      

• Despite the caution, the college proceeded with admitting 100 students.    

• This present matter had come before the honourable court as a petition was filed by the secretary of the said college in 2022. 

• The petitioner in the present petition had sought from the honourable court that – Direction be issued to the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University to continue the grant of affiliation to the said college and that too from 2021-2022. Also, permission was sought from the court by the petitioner: To allow the students to undergo Internships in School for teaching practice, and sit for their semester exams. 

• A pertinent issue in the matter was that an appeal had been filed by the said college against the order of withdrawal before the appellate body and subsequently, an order which again granted recognition to this said college was passed in September 2022. However, this order was to take effect from the academic year of 2022-2023, but the issue for the college was that it had admitted the students in absence of affiliation and recognition in the year 2021-2022.         

Holding Of The Madras HC:

The honorable High Court in this present matter dismissed the college’s petition and also imposed a cost of Rs. 5,00,000 on the said college. 

The honorable court also issued an order for the welfare and benefit of the students, requesting the authorities to look at the possibility of transferring the students to other recognized colleges