evidence: CHENNAI: Private engineering colleges have decided to challenge a recent rule issued by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in the Supreme Court. The council recently said only colleges that managed to secure at least 50 per cent admissions last year will be eligible to apply for new courses for 2021-22. All educational institutions in the country were closed due to the lockdown in March last year. Enrollment into engineering colleges, which was already on the decline, took a more severe hit. This led to many smaller and rural engineering colleges having less than 50 per cent admissions. Now, these colleges will not be able to apply for approval of new courses according to regulations stipulated in AICTE’s approval process handbook 2021-22. [...] "This will lead to a natural death of other colleges that are trying hard to boost admissions," rued Easwaramoorthy. Another member of the association, on condition of anonymity said that engineering colleges that are doing well need not be concerned about the regulation, but the rule may set other colleges on a downward spiral.