Two days after allowing students who cleared JEE to participate in Tamil Nadu BArch counselling, the Madras High Court on Wednesday vacated the interim order, saying it would halt the entire admission process. Justice N Anand Venkatesh decided to vacate the interim order dated October 25, as the Council of Architecture, the statutory body to regulate the profession, told the court that the Tamil Nadu government had denied permission for JEE students to participate in the counselling according to the instructions of the Council.

On October 25, the HC directed Anna University to permit candidates who have cleared JEE (Main) also to participate in counselling for BArch courses in 2021-22. The court passed the order while hearing two pleas that the state has denied permission for students who had cleared JEE to participate in the counselling all of a sudden.

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They said that, as per records, till the academic year of 2020-21, candidates who clear the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) as well as candidates who clear the JEE Aptitude Test, were considered fit to participate in the BArch Tamil Nadu admissions. This changed however, when in the prospectus for 2020-21 only the NATA exam was taken as valid.

"This goes completely against the information bulletin published by the National Testing Agency, which makes it very clear that the JEE (Main) Examination Paper II is conducted for admission to BArch and B Planning courses in the entire country," said the candidates.