Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sep 28: The University Grant Commission (UGC) has been ordered by the Delhi High Court to take the required necessary action against universities and colleges that provide unspecified degrees since these institutions are subject to penalties under Section 24 of the UGC Act, 1956.
The Court stated the purpose of periodically posting the specifications of degrees approved by the UGC on its website is to guarantee for all colleges and universities, as well as the students enrolled in those institutions, that degrees earned by students pursuing unspecified degree courses will not be recognized by the UGC. It is done to keep educational standards consistent.
A Public Interest Litigation highlighting the University Grants Commission’s inaction with regard to Universities/Institutions/Colleges providing unspecified courses, led the Bench of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula to direct UGC to take the necessary actions to ensure compliance with the provisions of the UGC Act, 1956.
Rahul Mahajan, the petitioner, asked the UGC in a plea to instruct all universities, deemed-to-be universities, colleges, and institutes to abide by a July 5, 2014, UGC notice and related notifications to guarantee uniformity in degree nomenclature.
The petition also asked that UGC give instructions to ensure that a comprehensive list of specified degrees be widely published at least twice a year, just before the start of each academic session.
In his appeal on behalf of the petitioner, attorney Vikram Singh Kushwaha argued that students are awarded degrees that are not recognized by the UGC due to gaps and inconsistencies in the UGC’s laws, rules and regulations as well as the respondents’ lack of accountability. Due to this, students are forced to squander their time, money and effort on an unattainable future.
The petitioner’s attorney claimed that students who receive degrees that are not specified in the Notification are being denied a basic right enshrined by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
In its affidavit, UGC claimed that it had already asked the Vice-Chancellors of all institutions to follow the rules for degree nomenclature outlined in the notice dated 5 July 2014. In the aforementioned letter to all the institutions, the UGC also made it clear that UGC regulations and notifications are statutorily, mandatorily and legally binding and must be complied with by all universities as they have legal effect.
While rendering its decision, the Delhi High Court noted that the UGC had sent several letters to all the universities to check that they were in compliance with the UGC Act’s provisions on the specification of degrees. Therefore, it is clear that UGC is doing all possible to guarantee that the UGC Act, 1956, which outlines the specifications for degrees, is strictly followed.
Given the foregoing, no decision on the current writ petition is necessary. However, the Delhi High Court instructed UGC to take the essential steps necessary to guarantee compliance with the provisions of the UGC Act, 1956.
