Chennai, Dec 3 (PTI) The Madras High Court on Friday upheld an order of the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department to hold second counselling for admission of students in engineering courses for the academic year 2021-22 in the state. Justice M Dhandapani upheld the November 25 order while passing final orders on a writ petition from the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu. According to the petitioner Consortium, if at all a policy decision has been taken to conduct the second phase of counselling, the same ought to be implemented with sufficient time and notice to the stakeholders. The announcement made after the admission process was over and a time limit has already been fixed for uploading the list of candidates registered in the respective colleges, would unsettle the settled list of admission. The same was arbitrary and illegal, petitioner contended. In the counter-affidavit, the Directorate of Technical Education submitted that after the first counselling, vacancies of engineering seats rose to several thousands. If they were left unfilled, they would remain in the vacant category and the needy would be deprived of their opportunity of admission. Conducting the second phase of counselling would certainly reduce the number of seats falling vacant and more students would get the benefit of admission in the desired colleges, it added. PTI CORR SA BN BN