The Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA), representing technical colleges in Punjab, has filed a civil appeal in the Supreme Court, seeking an extension of admission cut-off dates across the country. Currently, the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has set September 15 as the deadline for admissions nationwide.
Dr Anshu Kataria, President of PUCA and Chairman of Aryans Group of Colleges, Rajpura, stated that around 23.3 lakh students have been affected by the ongoing NEET-related court case in the Supreme Court. This delay, along with other factors such as late counselling in various states and unrest in the northeastern region, has left students unable to secure seats in technical colleges.
PUCA Senior Vice President, Adv Amit Sharma, has urged the government to extend the admission deadline to October 30, aligning with the extensions already granted by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and the Indian Nursing Council (INC), which have pushed their deadlines to November 30 and October 30, respectively.
Sharma pointed out that, despite AICTE’s September 15 cut-off, lakhs of seats remain vacant across approximately 8,000 technical colleges in India, with many applicants unable to secure admission due to the closure.
PUCA is advocating for an extension to address this issue and help students find placements.
