CHENNAI: THE Madras High Court has stayed the operation of an order of Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, dated November 30, 2017, disaffiliating an arts college at Dharapuram in Tirupur district.
Justice R Mahadevan granted the stay while passing interim orders on a writ petition from Bishop Thorp College, filed by its governing board secretary G Paul Vasanthakumar, on January 10.
The order, which is stayed now, also directed the college management not to admit students for the academic year 2018-19. The existing 469 students were, however, allowed to complete their studies.
According to senior advocate Isaac Mohanlal, Bharathiar University granted permanent affiliation to the Church of South India Trichy-Thanjavur Diocese to establish the college in 1984. It was a self-financed college, receiving no aid from government.
While so, by the order dated November 30 last year, the university disaffiliated the college from its rolls and asked it not to admit students for 2018-19. Mohanlal contended that as the impugned order does not reflect the reason for disaffiliating the petitioner college, the same was arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional.
As per Section 3 of Chapter XXIV of Bharathiar University statutes, its Syndicate shall spell out its findings against the college after enquiry. This section also stipulated that an opportunity shall be provided to the college management to defend its case. But none of the rules were followed.
The disaffiliation notice exhibited total non-application of mind by the university, Mohanlal contended.
The order is nothing but a non-speaking one, which was used to straight away disaffiliate the petitioner college without conducting any enquiry. “In such circumstances, there shall be an order of injunction for three weeks,” the judge said.