The government could soon ask 500 management, engineering and other technical education colleges to close for varying offences ranging from violating land rules to cheating students.

A senior official in the ministry of human resource development said this was the outcome of a review of complaints by parents and students, and a scrutiny of documents submitted by the colleges to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), India�s apex technical education regulator.

�At least 500 technical education colleges have already been raided in the last few months across India,� added this person, who did not want to be named.