The Kerala High Court has directed the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) University in the state to consider an application for affiliation of a college for the deaf as an unaided institution.
Justice Devan Ramachandran directed the university to consider the application filed by the charitable society and pass appropriate orders before December 15.
With that interim direction, the court listed the matter for further hearing on December 16.
The order came on a plea by the Sacred Heart Clarist Province Charitable Society seeking approval of the institute for the deaf in the unaided self-financing category.
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Senior advocate Jaju Babu, representing the society, told the court that his client was keen to run the college as an unaided institution in view of the financial crisis the state government was in.
He urged the court to direct the university to consider granting affiliation to the college and order the government to clear the same within a specified time frame.
The society, in its plea, has also sought that it be directed not to apply afresh for affiliation as then the entire process may take another year and the rights of deaf students would be adversely affected.
This is the second round of trial in this case.
It had earlier sought approval and affiliation to operate the college from the academic year 2022-23 as an aided institution, but was denied by the government citing financial constraints.
When the society moved the court, it had directed the state government to reconsider its policy of not allowing any aided colleges and not “mechanically” enforce it on the society’s body.
In its earlier plea, the society had said that deaf students who successfully complete their higher secondary course drop out later as there are no opportunities for college education for them.
The society told the court that it runs a higher secondary school with hostel facility for deaf-mute and till they open an aided college, the passing out students have no option but to give up their further education. Will not be an option.
On the other hand, the state government had taken the stand that aided colleges were not being approved in view of the “anticipated financial burden”.
The court had in August ordered the state government to reconsider the society’s request to start an aided college, but only for students with hearing impairment.
The latest petition states that thereafter, after reconsidering the society’s application, the government stuck to its stand but allowed it to prefer an application for approval of the college under the self-financed mode.
However, concerned that the process under the new application may also take more than a year, like last time, the society moved the High Court seeking a direction that its earlier application for approval be treated as unaided category. be processed under
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