In a sigh of relief to the architect aspirants in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court directed Anna University to admit students who appeared for the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) and Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE-mains) for the B Arch counselling.

“To balance the rights of the students, there shall be an interim direction directing the Anna University and the Commissioner of Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions to permit the students who have taken both NATA 2021 as well as JEE (Main) 2021 to participate in the counselling for B Arch Course. The selection shall be subject to the final result in these writ petitions,” Justice N Anand Venkatesh said in his interim order on hearing two writ petitions by a B Arch aspirant named M Meiyyammai and The Academic Society of Architecture.

The litigants submitted through their counsels that the government has changed the admission norms that made students who appeared for JEE-mains ineligible for B Arch admissions, and it's against The Architects, Act, 1972.

“Candidates who qualify in the aptitude test conducted by NATA, as well as the candidates who qualify in the aptitude test which is conducted by JEE, were considered eligible to participate in the admissions to B Arch Course in Tamil Nadu. This position was made clear by a government order dated September 5, 2020, by the Tamil Nadu higher education department. Communication has also been issued to this effect by the principal secretary to the Government to the Director, Chennai Academy of Architecture and Design,” the petitioner submitted.

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