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2021 Supreme(Online)(MAD) 20412
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS Reserved On 22.02.2021 Pronounced On 28.04.2021 CORAM THE HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE C.SARAVANAN W.P.No.7165 of 2017 and W.M.P.Nos.7790 of 2017 & 14894 of 2018 (Through Video Conferencing)
S.K.Natarajan ... Petitioner Vs.
1.The Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, Secretariat, Chennai – 600 009.
2.The Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Secretariat, Chennai – 600 009.
3.The Secretary, Information Technology Department, Government of Tamilnadu, Chennai – 600 009.
4.The Director, Centre for University Industry Collaboration, Anna University, Sadar Patel Road, Chennai – 600 025.
5.The Registrar, Anna University, Chennai.
6.The Chairman, NASSCOM, Samruddhi, Venture Park Ground Floor, 14-15, Central MIDC Road, Andheri East, Mumbai – 400 093.
7.The Director, NASSCOM TRIAL Infor Park, Amenity Floor, Hardly Tower, OMR, Chennai – 600 113.
8.The Chief Executive Officer, Wipro, Corporate Office, Doddakannelli Sarjapur Road, Banglore – 560 035.
9.The Chief Executive Officer, Tata Consultancy Services, TCS House, Reveline Street, Fort, Mumbai – 400 001.
10.The Chief Executive Officer, Cognizant, 12th & 13th Floor, “A” Wing, Kensington Building, Hiranandani Business Park, Powai, Mumbai – 400 076.
11.The Chief Executive Officer, Infosys, Corporate Headquarters, Electronics City, Hosur Road, Bangalore – 560 100.
12.The Chief Executive Officer, Accenture, Corporate Headquarters, A1-Godrej Industries Complex, Mumbai, Maharashtra – 400 079.
13.The Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra Limited, Wing 1, Oberoi Gardens Estate, Off. Saki Vihar Road, Chandivali, Andheri (E), Mumbai – 400 072, Maharashtra. 14.Ilaiyarasu (impleaded as per order dated 31.7.2017 in W.M.P.No.20804 of 2017)
15.The All India Council for Technical Education, Represented by its Chairman, New Delhi.
16.The Consortium of Self-Financing Professional Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu, Represented by its President, No.57, 11th Main Road, AE-Block, Anna Nagar East, Chennai – 600 040.
17.Education Promotion Society for India, DTJ 504, 5th Floor, DLF Tower-B, Jasola (Near Indraprastha Apollo Hospital), New Delhi – 110 025.
(R15 to R17 suo motu impleaded as per order dated 09.10.2017)
18.The Union of India, Rep. by Secretary, Ministry of Human Resources Development, New Delhi.
(suo motu impleaded as per order dated
23.10.2017)
19.The Council of Architecture, Rep. by its Registrar, India Habitat Centre, Core 6A, I Floor, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110 003.
(suo motu impleaded as per order dated
20.11.2017)
... Respondents Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, for issuance of a Writ of Mandamus, to direct the Respondents 1 and 5 to implement the Tamilnadu State Level Placement Programme in the Respondents 6 and 7 member companies of Respondents 8 to 13 in fair and effective manner of conducting the Common Campus Recruitment Programme to the petitioner's daughter N.Elakkiya student of the Engineering Colleges, Universities and Deemed Universities situated in the State of Tamilnadu with prohibition of conducting the campus interview process in the selected individual Colleges, Universities and Deemed Universities so as to achieve the principle of equality among the meritorious students irrespective of the colleges.
For Petitioner : Mr.K.K.Ramakrishnan For R1 & R3 : Mr.N.Inbanathan, A.G.P. For R2 : Mr.Karthigai Balan, G.A.
For R4 & R5 : Mr.L.P.Shanmugasundaran For R6 & R7 : Mr.G.Ramanujam For R8 : Mr.Lakshya Anand For R9 : Mr.Vinod Kumar For R10 & R11 : Mr.R.Premkumar for M/s.King & Patridge For R12 : Mr.G.Balasubramanian For R13 : Mr.R.Ravindran, Senior Counsel for Mr.S.Bazeer Ahamed For R14 : Mr.N.Umapathy For R15 : Mr.B.Rabu Manohar For R17 : Mr.R.Natarajan &
Mr.P.Naresh Kumar For R19 : Mr.A.Sheik Peer ******
O R D E R
The petitioner has filed a Writ of Mandamus to direct the first to fifth respondents to implement the Tamil Nadu State Level Placement Programme (TNSLPP) in the eighth to twelfth private respondents in a fair and effective manner of conducting the common Campus Recruitment Programme for the petitioner’s daughter N.Ellakiya, a student of Engineering College, University and Deemed University from the State of Tamil Nadu and to prohibit conduct of campus interview process in the selected individual Colleges, Universities and Deemed Universities so as to achieve the principle of equality among the meritorious students irrespective of the colleges.
2. By this writ petition, the petitioner seeks equal treatment for all the students who pass out of various engineering colleges from Tamil Nadu by putting an end to the practice of campus interview by private software companies under the auspices of Tamil Nadu State Level Placement Programme (TNSLPP) of the fourth and fifth respondents which prescribes different criteria for different colleges.
3. The petitioner has not disclosed the name of the colleges in which the petitioner’s daughter was studying. It has been filed in advance even before the petitioner’s daughter has completed her under-
graduation.
4. In this Writ Petition, the fourteenth respondent was subsequently impleaded. The fourteenth respondent has lent his voice to the cause of the petitioner.
5. The Anna University, namely the fourth and fifth respondents herein, liaised with various Private Companies such as eight to twelfth respondents and fourteenth to nineteenth respondents and various Engineering Colleges in the State of Tamil Nadu affiliated with the Anna University to facilitate Campus recruitment of students passing out from them.
6. The fifth respondent has devised a scheme called Tamil Nadu State Level Placement Programme (TNSLPP), whereby, various Private Companies engaged in software and information technology services were asked to give their requirements.
7. Pursuant to the above, campus recruitments are being conducted in various Colleges affiliated to the fifth respondent under the Tamil Nadu State Level Placement Programme (TNSLPP) by these companies.
8. It is the case of the petitioner that under the Tamil Nadu State Level Placement Programme (TNSLPP), the fourth and the fifth respondents have allowed the private companies to set different criteria for different colleges, as result of which, student passing out from colleges located outside the cites are at a disadvantage.
9. Initially, the present Writ Petition was filed against the first to thirteenth respondents. Subsequently, the fourteenth to nineteenth respondents were impleaded.
10. Earlier, by an order 09.10.2017, eighth to twelfth respondents who are private software companies were directed to furnish the following details:
i. How many Campus interviews have been conducted from 2010 to 2017 in various Engineering Colleges in Tamil Nadu?
ii. How many colleges and what are the names of the colleges, which were chosen for holding campus interviews by the private respondents?
iii.What is the yardstick followed by the private respondents while selecting the colleges for conducting such campus interviews?
iv. How many students have been selected in such Campus interviews conducted from the year 2010 to 2017 and the list of those students? (year wise, college wise and company wise particulars to be furnished).
v. Out of selected candidates, how many of them have been given placement orders?(Year wise, college wise and company wise particulars to be furnished).
vi. Is it a fact that certain colleges are chosen for campus interviews only to boost up the image of the concerned college and for admitting more students, as more than 500 colleges are located within Tamil Nadu?
vii.Whether Anna University is aware of this kind of allegations made against the Multi National Companies and the Engineering Colleges?
11. Thereafter, by an another order dated 20.11.2017,
