R. V. Raveendran, J. - (1.) The seventh respondent - YMCA Institute of Engineering, Faridabad (for short the 'Institute'), affiliated to the State Board of Technical Education, Haryana, was conducting Post Diploma Courses of four years duration in various engineering disciplines for several years, with entry level qualification of 10+1. The respondents are post diploma holders from the said Institute who had the entry qualification of 10+1 when they joined the said course.
(2.) The Institute sought the permission of All India Council for Technical Education - the Appellant herein ('AICTE' for short) to convert the aforesaid four year Post Diploma Programme into an 'Advance Diploma Programme' also of four years duration. AICTE granted approval for such conversion, by its letter dated 26.10.1995, subject to the following conditions : (i) The entry level to the course should be raised from 11th (10+1) to 12th (10+2) standard. (ii) The duration of the course shall be 4 years after 10+2. (iii) The course content should be modified as suggested by AICTE in Annexure-I to the said letter of approval. As a consequence, the four year Post Diploma Course of the Institute was converted to a four year Advance Diploma Course from 1995.
(3.) On the request of the Institute, the Director, Technical Education, Haryana and AICTE granted approval in the year 1997, for upgradation of the four year Advance Diploma Course to a five year Engineering Degree Programme (B.Tech degree). As a consequence, the Institute started B. Tech programme from the academic year 1997-98 with the permission of the affiliating university and AICTE. From that year, the Institute discontinued admissions to the four year Advance Diploma Course.;