The Madras High Court has directed Pondicherry University to lodge a complaint with the jurisdictional police against the Usha Lachumanan College of Education at Thirukkanur, a teacher training institute, for admitting students without affiliation.
"The University Registrar and Controller of Examinations are directed to lodge a police complaint against the Usha Lachumanan College in respect of the cheating committed against the students as well as society at large and set the law in motion. The competent authority, on receipt of such complaint, shall register the same and investigate the matter in a manner known to law and proceed with all further action," Justice S M Subramanian said on May 9 last.
The judge also said the students/writ petitioners or all other similarly placed students, who were admitted in BEd course in the academic year 2017-2018 are entitled to claim exemplary compensation from the institute. The quantum of compensation to be awarded to the students will be decided at the time of final hearing of the writ petition on June 11, the judge said.
The judge was dismissing a petition from the aggrieved students praying for a directive to the university to permit the petitioners to continue and complete their BEd in the institute without any break or hindrance, appear for all examinations conducted by the university and declare the results or transfer them to any other approved teacher education institution affiliated to Pondicherry University.
The judge said he was of the opinion that the institute cannot admit the students in the absence of any affiliation granted by the university as per procedure. The college had been adopting the tactic of getting an interim order and permitting the students to write the examination and thereafter admitting the students in the next academic year. In this way, they are commercialising education and cheating poor students, the judge said.
"This court is of the strong opinion that it is a social concern wherein such institutions are functioning without any affiliation. Further, the competent authorities are also not initiating appropriate action against such institutions. Hence, this court visualises that there is a possibility of collusion between these officials in admitting the students in the institution without any affiliation. Thus such a situation should be averted and this court cannot permit the students to write an examination in view of the fact that the students were admitted in BEd course in the 2017-2018 academic year, knowing well that there is no affiliation. When the institute is committing the offence with full knowledge, appropriate action ought to have been initiated by all the competent authorities.
"The fact remains that there is no affiliation in favour of the institution to admit the students for BEd course for the academic year 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Despite the cancellation of affiliation in the year 2016-2017 itself, the institution had further admitted students in the 2017-2018 academic year. Thus, it has not only committed an illegality but also committed an offence of collecting huge fees by cheating the students. This apart, this court by granting such an interim order of permitting the students to write the examination, cannot continue the illegality that had already crept in, in respect of the issue raised in this writ petition," the judge said.
