Pillai College of Engineering gets Supreme Court relief

The Supreme Court has allowed Pillai College of Engineering in Panvel to participate in the Common Admission Process (CAP) for engineering colleges. The college had moved the apex court after the
the All India Council for Technical Eduction (AICTE) in April revoked its approval of more than 15 engineering and management colleges across the state for violating norms.

In fact, the court ruling has come as a relief for 14 other engineering colleges who have also been reprimanded by the AICTE for deficiencies in their functioning. Although the final verdict is yet to be delivered, the court has given AICTE an opportunity to present their defence on June 10.

Last year, the Bombay high court had asked AICTE to review the approval process after an NGO, Citizens Forum for Sanctity in Education, challenged it saying that a number of colleges running under the AICTE were not equipped adequately to conduct engineering courses. This is what led the AICTE to revoke the approvals of well-known colleges from across the city. Some of these colleges have been running successfully for the past three decades or more. As their approvals were revoked, the first-year admissions could not be accepted by the colleges.

AICTE had not even mentioned the exact reason for revoking the approvals in the letter sent to every college. "We are a 40-year-old institution in Navi Mumbai and are well-known, but the AICTE did not consider even once before revoking our approval. The reason cited by them was that a playground within our campus was not needed and it should be given out for public use. A playground which has been a part of the educational institute for the past 16 years has suddenly become the reason for revoking our approval, whereas we have been paying the annual subscription charges — amounting to around Rs25 lakh — regularly to AICTE. There are no other deficiencies in our college, but there are many other colleges who are violating rules, but they are not part of the list provided by the forum. Hence, they are not being looked into. This is a very partial treatment imparted upon us," said Nivedita Shreyans, spokesperson for Pillai College of Engineering. The SC ruling in their favour will allow them to be a part of the admission process.

"This is a relief for us. We are also hoping for a clearance from the court," says SSawarkar, principal, Datta Meghe College of Engineering. "While assigning the next date for hearing, the judge made it clear that the officials at the AICTE was only trying to shrug the responsibility off their shoulders. They should have been alert all these years but to hide their ignorance they have been putting the onus on the colleges by revoking their approvals, which is not a very positive move," said a witness at the hearing.

Among the colleges whose approvals have been revoked is KC College of Engineering at Thane, which is also the Directorate for Technical Education's (DTE) ARC Centre. Similarly, AC Patil College of Engineering, Kharghar has not paid salaries to the teachers but has still received a clearance.