SHEELADEVI MULTIPURPOSE EDUCATION SOCIETY Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) In view of notice for final disposal issued earlier, these writ petitions are being decided by this common judgment.

(2.) Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard finally with the consent of learned counsel for the parties.

(3.) The petitioner no.1 in Writ Petition No.907/2020 is a society which is running the petitioner no.2 college that is affiliated to the Gondwana University. The said college is running courses in Physical Education. It is also conducting a three year degree course in Physical Education (Bachelor of Physical Education). The intake capacity for the said course is 30 students per year. It is the case of the petitioners that since the year 2015-16 about six colleges in its vicinity had closed down as a result of which various students were put to inconvenience as they were unable to get admissions in physical education courses. The petitioners accordingly sought to increase their intake capacity from 30 students to 150 students per year. On that basis the College issued request letters to the Director of Higher Education, Pune. Such requests were made on 25.06.2018, 07.07.2018, 27.05.2019 and13.06.2019. In the academic year 2019-20 the petitioner no.2 college admitted 100 students and submitted online enrollment forms to the University in September 2019. When the enrollment forms of the said 100 students were sought to be physically submitted, the University informed the college that in absence of any sanction from the State Government, the University could not permit increase in the intake capacity. The petitioners entered into communication with the State Government in that regard. In the meanwhile, on 18.07.2019, the University inspected the college in question and recommended increase in the intake capacity of the college. The Department of Higher Education on the basis of the aforesaid recommendation proposed increase in the intake capacity to 50 students. This figure was subsequently modified to 30 students. As there was no further development in the matter of grant of sanction to the increase of intake capacity, the petitioners approached this Court by the present writ petition with a prayer that the State Government be directed to take a decision on the proposal for increase in the intake capacity.