The Delhi High Court today upheld a decision by AICTE to place a city-based engineering college under "withdrawal of approval status" for the academic year 2014-15 on grounds including lack of own permanent building.
"It is apparent that the petitioner-institute suffers from several deficiencies pointed out by the Expert Visiting Committee. Despite various notices issued by AICTE to it to shift to a permanent site, it has been conducting engineering course from temporary premises for more than 15 years.
"While it is true that the time to shift premises has been extended till December 31, 2014, yet this court finds that no steps have been taken by petitioners for shifting their college to a permanent site. After all a building cannot be constructed overnight," a bench of Justice Manmohan said.
It upheld the All India Council for Technical Education's order of June 24 by which Delhi-based Guru Premsukh Memorial College Engineering was put under the category of "withdrawal of approval status" for the academic year 2014-15.
AICTE had also requested the Principal Secretary (Higher and Technical Education) Delhi and the Registrar of GGSIP University to shift affected students of other AICTE-approved institutes in consultation with the Delhi government.
"...This court is of the view that the impugned order dated 24th June, 2014 suffers from no illegality, irregularity and/or procedural impropriety...," the court said while dismissing the plea of the engineering college.
The college, affiliated to GGSIP University, has been functioning under the aegis of the AICTE since 2000 and has been running on rented accommodation.
In 2000, the college had applied to the DDA for five acres of land for construction of the college building at a permanent site in accordance with the AICTE norms.
Initially, DDA allotted three acres of land at Rohini. However, it was subsequently cancelled in 2004-2005.
The college, which has been getting interim permission to start academic session during 2006-2011, was later put in the category of "withdrawal of approval status" by the AICTE.
