In Brief
Om Sai Punya Educational and Social Welfare Society sought approval to establish Anant Institute of Business Studies for the 2017-18 academic year. AICTE approved it only for 2018-19, citing the 30th April statutory deadline and deficiencies discovered during inspection (two institutes sharing the same land and facilities). The Court dismissed the petition, holding that statutory timelines for approval are mandatory, not discretionary. The petitioner's non-disclosure of shared facilities, obstruction of inspections, and late withdrawal of another proposal constituted actionable conduct. Since approval came after the deadline and the admission process had substantially concluded, the Court refused to override statutory timelines even under Article 142.
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