Include college in counselling, HC directs medical authority

The Madras High Court has directed the Director of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy to include the name of SVS Yoga and Naturopathy College in the counselling schedule and admit students in the Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yoga Sciences course run by it for academic year 2016-17.
The college in Villupuram district had come under the cloud in January this year after three girl students allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well blaming it for levying exorbitant fees. The chairman and principal were among those who were arrested and later granted bail.
The incident led to a public outcry in Tamil Nadu against collection of exorbitant fees. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had later ordered the transfer of students studying in SVS College to government-run colleges.

A PIL plea was filed in the high court seeking to cancel affiliation to the college, but it was rejected by the court.
A show cause notice was sent to the college by the TN Dr MGR Medical University, asking why it should not be disaffiliated.
Since a show cause notice was sent, the varsity had not sent the schedule of counselling to the SVS College. Hence a representation was sent by the college to the University to furnish it the seat matrix.

As there was no response from the University, the college filed the present writ petition.
Justice B Rajendran in his interim order said "when there are admittedly unfilled seats as admitted by the government, no useful purpose will be served in keeping the petitioner's institutions out of the purview of the counselling schedule."

He further said that during counselling and at the time of admission, the college must inform students that their admission was subject to the writ petition's outcome.
The First bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan had earlier refused to entertain a prayer for disaffiliation.
An order of the second bench, comprising Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice V Parthiban had directed an inspection by authorities for the purpose of granting affiliation to another course run by the college.