In a move that threatens to have a far-reaching impact on the admissions to first-year engineering degree courses for 2009-10 in the state,
the director of technical education (DTE) has started issuing letters to some colleges asking them not to effect admissions this year due to their failure to appoint full-time principals.
The directorate's move to issue letters is spurred by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court's judgement of December 3, 2008, which had laid a time-bound programme for all colleges in the state to ensure they have a full-time principal in place by the extended deadline of May 31. The high court had directed the universities to act against the defaulting colleges by banning admissions to the first-year of their academic courses for 2009-10.
Some engineering colleges have already moved the Supreme Court (SC) against the high court judgement. The apex court had issued an interim order on May 28 staying the operation of the impugned judgement till further notice, although a debate continues on whether the SC's interim order is applicable to all colleges or to only those colleges which approached it for relief.
Several unaided engineering colleges have resented the DTE's letter and are planning to move the court for relief on the grounds that the letter amounts to contempt of the SC's order. On Sunday, a group of engineering colleges in Satara held discussions with their lawyer for filing a petition against the DTE letter.
All this, after DTE's joint director for Pune region G P Chaudhari held a meeting with representatives of various professional colleges at the Maharashtra Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology here on Saturday, to convey the directorate's position of following the high court's judgement on the issue of appointment of principals. The letters were issued to the colleges at this meeting, which was attended by some 80 representatives from the region, covering Pune, Satara, Solapur and Kolhapur districts.
Speaking to TOI on Sunday, Chaudhari said, "We have handed over the letters asking defaulting colleges not to admit students. The letter will also be posted on the DTE website on Monday."
Chaudhari said he had no specific information as to the number of engineering colleges running without principals and facing the DTE action. The information is being compiled at the DTE head office in Mumbai. As of now, there are 215 engineering colleges in Maharashtra, with a collective student intake of 69,126.
Earlier, the DTE had issued letters on June 9 and 18, asking all professional colleges to furnish information about their academic courses, appointment of principals, status of approval of such appointment by the concerned university, among other things. "A large number of colleges failed to respond to these letters," the joint DTE's notice for Saturday's meeting said.
the director of technical education (DTE) has started issuing letters to some colleges asking them not to effect admissions this year due to their failure to appoint full-time principals.
The directorate's move to issue letters is spurred by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court's judgement of December 3, 2008, which had laid a time-bound programme for all colleges in the state to ensure they have a full-time principal in place by the extended deadline of May 31. The high court had directed the universities to act against the defaulting colleges by banning admissions to the first-year of their academic courses for 2009-10.
Some engineering colleges have already moved the Supreme Court (SC) against the high court judgement. The apex court had issued an interim order on May 28 staying the operation of the impugned judgement till further notice, although a debate continues on whether the SC's interim order is applicable to all colleges or to only those colleges which approached it for relief.
Several unaided engineering colleges have resented the DTE's letter and are planning to move the court for relief on the grounds that the letter amounts to contempt of the SC's order. On Sunday, a group of engineering colleges in Satara held discussions with their lawyer for filing a petition against the DTE letter.
All this, after DTE's joint director for Pune region G P Chaudhari held a meeting with representatives of various professional colleges at the Maharashtra Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology here on Saturday, to convey the directorate's position of following the high court's judgement on the issue of appointment of principals. The letters were issued to the colleges at this meeting, which was attended by some 80 representatives from the region, covering Pune, Satara, Solapur and Kolhapur districts.
Speaking to TOI on Sunday, Chaudhari said, "We have handed over the letters asking defaulting colleges not to admit students. The letter will also be posted on the DTE website on Monday."
Chaudhari said he had no specific information as to the number of engineering colleges running without principals and facing the DTE action. The information is being compiled at the DTE head office in Mumbai. As of now, there are 215 engineering colleges in Maharashtra, with a collective student intake of 69,126.
Earlier, the DTE had issued letters on June 9 and 18, asking all professional colleges to furnish information about their academic courses, appointment of principals, status of approval of such appointment by the concerned university, among other things. "A large number of colleges failed to respond to these letters," the joint DTE's notice for Saturday's meeting said.