The court emphasized procedural fairness and the necessity of adhering to established timelines in administrative actions, especially regarding educational institutions facing de-affiliation.

JUDGMENT :

VIKAS MAHAJAN, J.

1. The present petition has been filed seeking following reliefs:

“(a) Issue Writ of Certiorari for quashing the de-affiliation order dated 20.09.2024 and minutes of Appellate Committee Meeting dated 01.04.2025 circulated through the Office Memorandum dated 29.04.2025, whereby, the Appeal of the Petitioner institution was rejected by the Appellate Committee of the respondent confirming the de-affiliation order dated 20.09.2024; and;

(b) Issue Writ of Mandamus to the respondent to issue the restoration of affiliation order from session 2025-2026 for running the 6 Units of Electrician Trade and 2 Units of Welder Trade.”

2. The grievance articulated in the present petition is essentially against the impugned order dated 20.09.2024 passed by respondent/Directorate General of Training (‘DGT’) de-affiliating the petitioner-ITI, as well as, the minutes of Appellate Committee Meeting dated 01.04.2025 circulated through the Office Memorandum dated 29.04.2025, whereby, the appeal preferred bythe petitioner-ITI against the impugned order was rejected by the Appellate Committee of the respondent.

3. The brief facts as noted from the petition and material placed on record are that the petitioner-ITI was granted affiliation by the respondent vide its letter dated 06.12.2012 with permission to run 2 Units in ‘Electrician Trade’ and 2 Units in ‘Wielder Trade’. At the time of passing of the impugned order of de-affiliation, petitioner-ITI was running 6 Units in ‘Electrician Trade’ and 2 Units in ‘Welder Trade’.

4. Somewhere in 2022, a complaint was filed by father of one of the students against the petitioner-ITI alleging that the petitioner-ITI for the purpose of admission had charged excess fee and had misled the complainant to admit his son into a trade i.e. ‘Diesel Mechanic’, which was not available for offer at the petitioner-ITI.

5. The complaint was inquired into by Sh. Sanjeev Goyal, Deputy Director, Technical Education & Industrial Training, Punjab, who submitted its report vide letter dated 16.09.2022. In the said report, strict action was proposed against the petitioner-ITI.

6. Accordingly, on 01.10.2022, petitioner-ITI was issued a show cause notice (‘SCN’) calling upon it to submit its written reply within 21 days and to show cause as to why action be not initiated to de-affiliate the petitioner-ITI. The SCN was responded to by petitioner vide its reply within the stipulated time.

7. The State Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Committee (‘SSDEC’) in its meeting held on 20.02.2023 considered the reply of petitioner and decided to conduct a joint inspection at the petitioner ITI.

8. In the meanwhile, the mother of the student on whose behest the complaint was filed, submitted an affidavit before SSDEC on 20.07.2023 deposing that on account of demise of her husband / complainant, as well as, her son moving abroad for higher studies, she does not wish to proceed with the complaint.

9. Thereafter, a joint physical inspection was carried out by the respondent at the petitioner-ITI. Basis the joint inspection report, as well as, regard being had to the mother’s affidavit, the Regional Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (‘RDSDE’), Punjab vide communication dated 21.08.2023 submitted the following remarks to Addit