The Madras High Court recently dismissed a public interest litigation that sought an independent enquiry into the accreditation, affiliation and autonomous status of Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology situated in Tiruvallur. The bench comprising Chief Justice S A Dharmadhikari and Justice Arul and Justice Arul Murugan delivered the order on 30 June 2026 in the matter styled Radha Krishnan versus Union of India.
The petitioner D Radhakrishnan approached the court praying for directions to the Union government the University Grants Commission the National Assessment and Accreditation Council the State of Tamil Nadu Anna University and the Directorate of Technical Education to constitute an independent enquiry committee. The committee was to examine the records submitted by the college for obtaining and continuing its accreditation autonomous status affiliation and other regulatory approvals.
In support of the plea the petitioner relied on newspaper clippings YouTube material a First Information Report registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption and the pendency of a DVAC investigation. The court observed that before filing the writ petition the petitioner had submitted a representation on 29 April 2026 seeking withdrawal of the autonomous status and accreditation granted to the college. However the relief sought in the writ petition was materially different as it asked for an investigative mechanism rather than a punitive remedy.
The bench noted that a petitioner cannot first seek one extreme punitive remedy before the statutory authorities and subsequently approach this court asking for an investigative mechanism under a completely transformed pretext. This inconsistency was regarded as a fundamental defect in the petition.