In Brief
An educational institution (Fore School of Management) applied to AICTE for approval to increase student seats but was rejected. Despite this, it admitted 42 students beyond the approved limit. The Supreme Court held that while the institution's conduct was wholly illegal, it could not unilaterally override regulatory authority—the proper remedy for alleged arbitrary delay was court intervention, not unauthorized admissions. The Court refused to set aside admissions to protect innocent students but upheld AICTE's statutory penalty of ₹23.1 crore (five times fees per excess student) and directed degrees be awarded to complete-course students.
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