HC allows NCT to close down philosophy dept

The Madurai bench of Madras High Court allowed the management of National College Trichy (NCT) to close down ‘virtually non-existent’ philosophy course.
The faculty members of the department are now planning to move Supreme Court seeking reopening of the department.
The NCT management had cited lack of patronage from students to the philosophy department which led to no admissions and decided to close down the course in 2012.
However, faculty members from the department approached the high court seeking direction to the management to admit students.
They also charged the management of deliberately avoiding admissions to the philosophy department aiming at its closure so that they can utilize the space to run self-financing courses.
Though an interim order was issued by the high court in December 2012 in which it said that the department should not be closed until further orders, the high court delivered the verdict in favour of the college management allowing them to stop the course recently.
“The Court observed that the college cannot run the course for two or three students and if the students want to study philosophy, they can pursue other colleges that offer philosophy courses,” said M S Balamurugan, unit chairman of association of university teachers (AUT), National College Trichy (NCT).
S Gunasekar, associate professor of philosophy at NCT said that they have no option but to approach the Supreme Court seeking revival of the course.

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