Colleges refuse to return original papers to students

Some of the documents included Pre University and SSLC/class 10th marksheets, all documents required for future admissions or job recruitment.

A view of Visvesvaraya Technological University campus (Photo | File/ EPS]

BENGALURU: The admission overseeing committee continues to get complaints from students against colleges which are not returning original documents despite clear instructions from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The AICTE had directed engineering colleges not to withhold students’ original documents when they withdrew or cancelled their admissions. Students also alleged that colleges were demanding high fees for the return of the documents.

Admission overseeing committee chairman, retired judge B Manohar, told The New Indian Express, “We are issuing notices to colleges against whom students have raised complaints. Hearing will be conducted following the replies given by the colleges.”

Some of the documents included Pre University and SSLC/class 10th marksheets, all documents required for future admissions or job recruitment. “Based on directions issued by AICTE, we have even issued a circular in the state asking colleges not to indulge in such activities,” said Prof HN Jagannatha Reddy, registrar, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU).

Meanwhile, the number of such complaints have only increased with the closure of admissions for the Ayush courses. Many students, who successfully got seats for Ayush, withdrew their engineering college admissions, only to be told that their original documents would be returned on payment of the complete course fee.  However, the colleges concerned defended their stance saying, “We have to keep the seats vacant till the completion of that batch, so we are forced to collect the course fees.”