ANDHRA PRADESH HIGHER EDUCATION REGULATORY AND MONITORING COMMISSION Vs. ANDHRA PRADESH PRIVATE ENGINEERING COLLEGES MANAGEMENTS ASSOCIATION

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present writ appeals have been preferred against the judgment and order, dtd. 5/12/2023, passed in a batch of writ petitions bearing Nos.32909, 32967, 35109 of 2022; 20878 and 22945 of 2023. Since the issues of fact and law in this set of cases are same, we propose to deal with them by way of a common judgment and order.

(2.) There is in force in the State of Andhra Pradesh an Act called the Andhra Pradesh Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission Act, 2019 (hereinafter referred to as,"the Act of 2019"). The said Act, according to the preamble, was enacted"to establish the Andhra Pradesh Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission to maintain standards of education, regulation of fee, service condition of teachers and safeguard the interest of students and to ensure public spiritedness, equity, excellence, financial stability and probity along with good governance and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

(3.) Sec. 9(a) of the Act envisages the Commission to ensure that standards of admission, teaching, examination, research, qualification of teachers and infrastructure, are maintained by the higher educational institutions in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Regulatory Authorities of the Central Government from time to time.