NEW DELHI: Supreme Court docket has ordered an unprecedented nationwide audit of all non-public and deemed universities, reworking a pupil grievance right into a deep scrutiny of India’s sprawling increased schooling sector. In a sweeping directive, apex court docket has requested Centre, all states and UTs, and College Grants Fee (UGC) to submit personally sworn affidavits disclosing how these establishments had been arrange, who governs them, what regulatory approvals they maintain, and whether or not they really operate on a notfor-profit foundation.The transfer is available in response to a petition filed by a pupil of Amity College, Ayesha Jain, who alleged the establishment harassed and barred her from attending courses after she legally modified her title. What started as a single case of administrative apathy has now became a judicial inquisition into the governance and monetary practices of all the non-public college ecosystem.
Supreme Court docket’s focus is evident — expose the structural opacity and look at whether or not regulatory our bodies like UGC have adequately carried out their position. Previous interventions present this isn’t unfamiliar terrain. In 2005, the court docket struck down Chhattisgarh Non-public Universities Act that had allowed over 100 shell establishments to function with out fundamental tutorial infrastructure. In 2009, a central overview discovered 44 deemed universities unfit for his or her standing resulting from poor tutorial and governance requirements. In 2017, a Supreme Court docket verdict invalidated engineering levels awarded by way of unapproved distance mode by deemed universities and barred them from conducting such programs with out clear regulatory approval.This present overview cuts deeper. It questions how non-public universities purchase land, appoint management, deal with funds, and whether or not they have credible grievance redressal mechanisms. The demand for private accountability — from chief secretaries to the UGC chairperson — alerts judicial impatience with the established order. A UGC official, on situation of anonymity, acknowledged: “There have been longstanding compliance gaps. This is a chance to restore public trust.” The official added that within the present case, the fee “in fact recommended the university to consider the name change request”.Non-public universities, lots of which function below totally different state and central legal guidelines, are rattled. “This is a sweeping brush,” stated a vice chancellor of a reputed state non-public college. “We support transparency, but we also fear being tarred with the same brush as a few errant institutions.”Observers see timing within the court docket’s motion. Greater Schooling Fee of India (HECI) Invoice, supposed to overtake regulation and merge UGC, AICTE, and others below one roof, is anticipated within the upcoming Parliament session.“An issue concerning a private university legislated by state law is now expanded to rope in all private deemed universities governed by separate regulations under a central law. In a similar exercise, in 2017 in the case of Orissa Lift case, an issue concerning four deemed universities affected all in an irreversible manner. With HECI round the corner, it is hoped that the present issue finds a policy solution through HECI Bill,” stated an instructional coverage skilled.
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