ARNAB KUMAR KALITA Vs. STATE OF ASSAM

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. KN Choudhury, learned Senior counsel for the writ petitioners. Also heard Mr. D Saikia, learned Senior Additional Advocate General, Assam for the respondents under the State of Assam as well as the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar of the Assam Science and Technology University and also the respective Principals of the five engineering colleges, Mr. LP Sarma, learned counsel for the authorities in the GU, Mr. NC Das, learned Senior counsel for the authorities in the DU, Mr. S Saikia, for the authorities under the All India Council for Technical Education and Mr. A Chamuah, learned counsel for the authorities under the University Grants Commission.

(2.) The writ petition, being WP(C) No. 7071/2017 has been preferred by 21 students of different semesters of the five Government Engineering colleges in the State of Assam, namely, the Assam Engineering College, Guwahati (AEC for short), Jorhat Engineering College, Jorhat (JEC for short), the Bineswar Brahma Engineering College, Kokrajhar (for short, BBEC), Jorhat Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat (JIST for short) and Barak Valley Engineering College, Silchar (BVEC for short).

(3.) In the writ petition, the letters dated 28.02.2017 and 25.02.2017 of the Joint Secretary to the Govt. of Assam, Higher and Technical Education Department to the Director of Technical Education, Assam requiring the Principals of AEC and JEC to initiate the process and apply for affiliation under the Assam Science and Technology Guwahati University (ASTU), as required under Section 37 of the Assam Science and Technology University Act, 2009 (for short, ASTU Act, 2009) for the session commencing from July/August, 2017 has been assailed. Further a letter of 29.08.2017 of the Registrar ASTU addressed to the Principals of the respective Engineering colleges, requesting them to complete the process of affiliation for the session 2017-2018 and the, letter dated 02.11.2017 of the Registrar GU addressed to the Principals of AEC and BBEC informing that the registration of 1st Semester students for the Session 2017-2018 had been stopped with immediate effect had also been assailed in the writ petitions with a further prayer for directing the Registrar of GU to resume the online registration of the 1st Semester Students of AEC and BBEC for the Semester Examinations from 29.11.2017.