Closed down eight Government Degree Colleges High Court dismisses pleas against govt decision on degree colleges The HP High Court dismissed all petitions challenging the decision of the state government vide which it had closed down eight Government Degree Colleges. The writ petitions have been filed by students or parents of the students studying in eight Government Degree Colleges, who claim to be affected by the decision of the state government. It was stated in all these petitions that the previous state government by issuing notifications between June 23, 2012, and September 6, 2012, started Government Degree Colleges in Rewalsar, Nihri, Ladbharol, and Baldwara in Mandi, Sarahan in Sirmaur, Nankhari in Shimla, Kasauli and Kotla Behar in Kangra district. The petitioners said the plea taken by the present government in its reply about the financial difficulty could be no basis to overturn the decision taken by the previous government. The state government contended before the court that after the opening of the colleges, only 19, 14, 37, 10, 12, four, two and 16 students in the respective colleges took admission. It was further contended that none of these colleges had their own building. The arrangement was purely temporary. The decision of the government was taken in haste and without making necessary budgetary arrangement to meet the expenses for the construction of the building and other infrastructure. While dismissing the petitions, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Kuldip Singh observed: “We are not inclined to accept the grievance of the petitioners that the decision was purely because of political vendetta. That is only a vague and unsubstantiated allegation. Once it is found that the government has had the intrinsic power to review the earlier decisions, it is not open to lightly brush aside the subjective satisfaction of the executive. Thus, it is neither a case of casual decision taken by the new government, nor of any political vendetta, but purely on the basis of the record considered during a Cabinet meeting in which the decision has been taken. The record reinforces the position on all counts, namely, strength of students, lack of infrastructure and close proximity of other colleges”.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:57:25 +0000
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