BALA SEVA EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE TRUST, REPRESENTED BY ITS CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING TRUSTEE, R. SETHURAMAN Vs. THE GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU AND ANR.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Petitioner seeks issuance of writ of certiorarified mandamus, calling for the records Comprised in the proceedings of the 1st respondent's Lr. No. 13655/J1/97 -4, dated 13.8.1997, and quash the same in so far as it relates to petitioner -Shanmuga College of Engineering is concerned, and consequently direct the respondents to accord minority status to the petitioner institution.

(2.) The petitioner applied to the 1st respondents on 25.6.1997, seeking minority status, viz., as a linguistic minority institution as all the trustees were all versed in Sanskrit and were committed to the cause of establishing Sanskrit as an important means of communication and in view of its intrinsic capability of being adopted to the modern technology. The petitioner also attached a copy of the certificate issued by the Revenue Divisional officer, Thanjavur, certifying that the petitioner Trust has established the shanmuga college of Engineering at Thirumalai Samudram, Thanjavur Taluk, for the benefit and upliftment of Sanskrit speaking community in Tamil Nadu, It is also said that the other statutory requirements are also satisfied.

(3.) The grievance of the petitioner is that when it was expecting a favourable order from the 1st respondent, on 13.8.1997, it was informed by the impugned letter that the claim is rejected, on the ground that the Sanskrit language has ceased to be in use. The petitioner challenges the validity of the impugned order on various grounds.