New Delhi: The fate of 44 deemed universities, which were recommended to be blacklisted by the Centre, hangs in the balance with the Supreme Court directing the government to take a fresh look at them after taking advice from the UGC.
The 44 deemed universities are: Rajiv Gandhi National Youth Development Institute in Tamil Nadu, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara in Bihar, National Museum Institute of History, Art, Conservation, and Musicology, at New Delhi, Vignan Foundation for Science, Technologhy & Research, Vadlamudi (AP)., Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, Baroda (Gujarat), Maharashi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, Ambala (Haryana), Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad, Lingayya's University, Faridabad, Sri Devraj Urs Academy of Higher Education & Research,Kolar, Karnataka, Yenepoya University, Mangalore, BLDE University, Bijapur, Karnataka, Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, Tumkur, Christ College, Bangalore, Jain University, Bangalore, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapith, Pune, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciencies, Karad, Maharashtra, Jain University, Bangalore, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapith, Pune, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Kard, D Y Patil Medical College, Kolhapur, Shiksha 'O' Anusandhan university, Bhubaneswar, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Puducheery, Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapith, Udaipur, Institute of Advanced Studies in Education of Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sardarshahr, Rajasthan, Mody Institute of Technology & Science, Laxmangarh, Rajasthan, Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation, Salem, Bharath Institute of Higher Education 7 Research, chennai, Dr MGR Educational & Research Institute, chennai, Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education & Research, Chennai, Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences, Chennai, Kalasalingam Academy of Research & Education, Virudhunagar, Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science & Technology, Thanjavur, Academy of Maritime Education & Training, Kanathur (TN), Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Technology & Science, Thanjavur (TN), St Peter's Institute of Higher Education & Research, Avadi (TN), Vel's Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies, Chennai, Chettinad Academy of Research & Education, Padur (TN), Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, Vel-Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science 7 Technology, Chennai, Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, Kanyakumari, Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, Swami rama Vidyapeeth, Dehradun, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology, Meerut, Santosh University, Ghaziabad, Nehru Gram Bharti Vishwavidyalaya, Allahanad.
The apex court directed the Commission to examine all the reports on their failure to fulfil the criteria within two months and tender its advice to the Centre which will take a final call on the issue.
"We feel it appropriate to give a direction to the UGC to examine all the reports, with notice to all the 44 institutions concerned. Institutions are free to raise their objections against the reports and the UGC has to consider the same and take an independent decision in accordance with law, if necessary, after affording a hearing, within a period of two months from today.
"UGC has then to tender its advice to the Central Government with its report. Needless to say that the advice of the UGC is not binding on the Union of India but has to be given due weight since the UGC is an expert statutory authority," a bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Vikramajit Sen said in their judgement.
It, however, made it clear that it has not given its stamp of approval to any of the reports pertaining to the Universities and it is for the UGC to consider all reports.
The HRD ministry, which has sought denotification of 44 deemed universities, had earlier assured the Supreme Court that it will put in place a suitable mechanism to ensure that the future of students is not affected.
A committee of officers constituted by the Ministry had concluded that these institutes should be denotified after it gave personal notice to each university to come clean.
It had examined the findings of a review committee headed by P N Tandon which had recommended blacklisting these 44 institutions as they had failed on several parameters.
The nine parameters on which the 44 institutions were tested included conformity to UGC guidelines, aspects of governance, innovations in teaching, research output and impact, doctoral and research programmes, faculty resources, admission processes, award of degrees, among others.
The Tandon Committee had initially examined all 126 deemed universities in the country and classified them into three categories — A, B and C. While the 44 fell in category C, those in category A and B were allowed to continue.
