CHENNAI:
Anna University has informed the Madras high court that it will accept fee for online engineering
counselling through demand draft in addition to payments through credit, debit cards and internet banking.
The university arrived at the decision on Friday, after the high court had made it clear that the university could not expect rural students who might not have access to bank accounts to make the payment only through credit, debit cards or internet banking.
“We will accept the payment through demand draft and in turn remit the fee online from the current account of the university,” additional advocate general Manishankar said.
The issue pertains to a batch of PILs moved by several people, including DMK Kancheepuram MLA C V M P Ezhilarasan, seeking a direction to the university to conduct the counselling both in online and offline modes.
Initially, the university said that it could not accept other modes of payment as the online counselling system would not permit.
When the pleas came up for hearing on Friday, Manishankar said, “We need a week’s time to modify the system so that payment through demand draft can be accepted. From May 18, such mode of payment of
registration fee will be accepted at 42 facilitation centres established across the state with 2,580 counters.”
Anna University