Counsel for Anna University (AU) on Thursday told a vacation bench of the Madras High Court that there is no scope for adding any other mode of payment for application and registration fees while applying for admission in engineering courses through online counselling other than through credit or debit cards or by internet banking.

When two PILs from CVMP Ezhilarasan, a DMK MLA, and P Ponpandian, an advocate, came up for hearing before a bench of Justices V Parthiban and P D Audikesavalu, Additional Advocate-General C Manishankar, appearing for Anna University, submitted that the university could not change the system now. Otherwise, the software will crash.

Ezhilarasan's senior counsel P Wilson told the judges that the university's intention was to keep away students from rural areas from getting admission. It cannot expect students in those areas to remit the application and registration fees while applying for online counselling through credit and debit cards or by internet banking. The university can open a bank account and permit students to remit the payment into that account. Even for filling up application forms for online counselling, university staff may be posted in the 42 centres and help them, he added.

Counsel also produced a copy of a judgment of the High Court, which permitted payment by way of demand draft for NEET.

The matter was adjourned to Friday (May 11), when AU should submit its stand on the suggestions made for payment of fees through other modes.