Team Herald
PANJIM: With the Goa government declining any relief to the crisis-stricken Mandre College of Commerce, Economics and Management, the High Court of Bombay at Goa has come to its rescue granting it interim relief by allowing the institution to admit first year students for the coming academic year.
The State government had denied grants and withdrawn administrative approval to the Vikas Parishad-run College. Goa University’s (GU) academic council (AC) had also resolved that the college’s affiliation from the 2016-17 academic year would be subject to fresh NOC from the government.
The college had submitted to the court that closing admissions for the first year would impact huge investment made even as there was no complaint of infrastructure, staff or other terms vital to continuance of affiliation.
The High Court, on hearing arguments passed an interim order stating, “Pending the hearing and final disposal of this petition, this court… permits the petitioners to admit students to the First Year BCom Degree Course for the Academic Year 2016-17 forthwith.”
Justice M S Sonak stated that at least, prima facie, the academic council is not the authority to decline continuation of affiliation. “Such authority is vested only in the Executive Council. As of now, based upon the decision of the academic council, affiliation is sought to be denied,” it observed.
“Prima facie, it was necessary to comply with the principles of natural justice, if there was any proposal for rejecting the continuation of the affiliation. The impugned decision, prima facie, is therefore, in breach of principles of natural justice,” the court observed, adding, “For at least three years, the GU continued the affiliation relying upon the reports of its Affiliation Enquiry Committee and the satisfaction that the essential parameters with regard to the infrastructure, staff etc… Even the communication on March 11, 2016 makes it clear that Affiliation Enquiry Committee had, in fact, recommended the continuation of affiliation to the college for the academic year 2016-17.”
Over 500 students are stated to have passed the Class XII examination in the Commerce stream from the region in which the college is located and are likely to seek admission to the 60 seats at the college.
