HC quashes VTU order cancelling City college affiliation

The High Court on Thursday quashed the notification of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) cancelling the affiliation of a City-based private engineering college.

Hearing a petition by Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Management, challenging the order dated August 8, 2014 de-affiliating it, Justice A S Bopanna set aside the order and directed the VTU to conduct a spot inspection and proceed in accordance with law in case of any complaints against the college.

The court also quashed the counselling of students scheduled to be held by the VTU on August 16 and 17 to transfer them to different colleges in the wake of cancellation of the affiliation.

The petitioner had moved the High Court against the VTU’s action of issuing a show cause on June 24, questioning some of  the lapses in the institute and stating why the affiliation granted to it should not be withdrawn. It was followed by a communication dated June 26 by the Government of Karnataka directing the Karnataka Examinations Authority to bring down the intake of the college to zero from the existing 150. 

Following a petition, the division bench headed by Justice K L Manjunath restricted the VTU from interfering in the college's affairs and directed that the varsity should look into the material provided by the college. The matter was disposed of after VTU assured to proceed in accordance with the law.

However, after the court order, the VTU issued a notification stating that the petitioner college has been dis-affiliated and also issued a paper notification in this regard on August 8.

Challenging this, the petitioner contended that the order by the varsity is clearly a violation of Section 43 (3) of VTU Act 1994, that mandates a prior inspection before issuing such an order. Stating that there is no valid ground for cancelling the affiliation, the petitioner termed this action as arbitrary, unfair, illegal and unreasonable.

Stating that the college’s request to grant it more time to submit its compliance report to the show-cause notice was rejected by the varsity, the petitioners submitted that this action of the respondent university is clearly in violation of principles of natural justice. Justice Bopanna has allowed the petition.

BBMP officer summoned

 The High Court on Thursday directed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official concerned to appear before the court in connection with a petition seeking to clear encroachment of footpath near Yeshwantpur railway station.

Hearing a petition from the local residents seeking to clear encroachment from Railway parallel road at Yeshwantpur, the division bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri directed the BBMP to come out with suggestions to clear the encroachment at the earliest and dispose of the matter.

The petitioners had moved the High Court seeking to clear the encroachment by some of the vendors stating that this is leading to garbage menace on this stretch.