Appoint qualified principals in six months, Maharashtra colleges told

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court Friday asked private colleges in Maharashtra to appoint “eligible and qualified” principals in the next six months, warning that no further extension would be given afterwards and “logical consequences would follow”.

“We must endeavour to improve the standards of academic institutions and the students as well,” the vacation bench headed by Justice R.M. Lodha and comprising Justice A.K. Patnaik said. It also permitted the private colleges to admit students for the academic year 2010-2011.

When counsel for the petitioner, the unaided private colleges, pleaded that the court should not impose a rigid time-frame for the appointments, Justice Lodha said: “You passed the last academic year like this (without appointing the principal) and you will not be allowed to repeat it this year.”

The court said that either the colleges should give an undertaking that they would appoint the principals, through a selection committee appointed by the respective universities, within six months or it would dismiss their petitions/applications and the logical consequences would follow.

The court order effectively means that if the 600-odd private unaided colleges fail to appoint their principals with “required eligibility and qualification”, then these colleges will be barred from admitting students in the next academic year. These colleges offer courses in business administration, engineering, law and various social sciences disciplines.

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court Dec 3, 2008 directed the private colleges in Maharashtra to fill up the vacant seats of principals on or before May 31, 2009. Failing this, these colleges were asked not to admit students for the academic year 2009-2010.

When the order was challenged in the Supreme Court, the apex court July 17, 2009, allowed these colleges one more year to appoint the principals and also permitted them to enroll students for the academic year 2009-2010.