Engineering admission: Notice to Education Secretary, Anna varsity

The summer vacation division bench, comprising justices V Bharathidasan and N Seshasayee which heard the petitions, moved by CVMP Ezhilarasan, a DMK MLA representing Kancheepuram Constituency and P Ponpandian, an advocate of Madras High Court, issued the notice which is returnable by a week.    

The petitioners claimed that Anna University confining the admission and counselling process for engineering courses in the state to just online mode is highly disadvantageous to students from rural areas. 

Noting that various stages are involved in the online admission process like scanning and uploading documents online, the petitioners submitted that students from rural areas who are not well versed in English and computer would find it extremely difficult to even apply for the same. Moreover, many rural areas of Tamil Nadu lack internet facilities, they added. 

The petitioners contended that since the entire admission process takes nearly four to five months to complete, the students are required to keep following the emails sent by Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions. 

Therefore, it will also be difficult for students from rural areas to follow the counselling procedure for five long months, they added.