SC directs UGC to examine status of 44 deemed varsities

PUNE: The Supreme Court has directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to examine all reports related to the 44 deemed universities, which are facing de-recognition, and advice the central government on the status of these universities in the next two months.
Three of these universities are from the state - Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth in Pune; Krishna Institute of Medical Scineces, Karad in Satara district and D Y Patil Medical College, Kolhapur.
The reports to be examined by the UGC include those filed in 2009 by the HRD ministry's P N Tandon committee, which called for de-recognition of the 44 deemed universities, and the one filed in October 2011 by a three-member committee of officers, led by the then HRD secretary Ashok Thakur, which conducted a fresh inspection following the apex court directives. The UGC had also conducted an inspection of its own, and had prepared a report.
In a seven-page order passed on Tuesday, an apex court bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Vikramjit Sen observed, "We have now two parallel inquiries, one conducted by the UGC directly and another conducted by the central government through Prof Tandon. But we find that the UGC had no occasion to examine the Tandon committee report. Further, we also notice that there is another report of the committee of officers, which has also not been placed before the UGC."
The bench said, "Under such circumstances, we feel it appropriate to direct the UGC to examine all the reports, with notice to all 44 institutions concerned. The 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."
The bench has clarified that the advice of the UGC is not binding on the Centre but has to be given due weight since the UGC is an expert statutory authority. "We have not given our stamp of approval to any of the reports and it is for the UGC to consider all the reports," the court observed.
The P N Tandon committee was set up by the HRD ministry as a consequence of the proceedings in the apex court for inspecting all the 126 deemed universities in the country. The proceedings were part of a public interest litigation (PIL) which is pending before the apex court since 2006. The PIL has been filed by lawyer Viplav Sharma.
In its report, submitted in 2009, the Tandon panel listed 38 institutions as truly worthy of continuing with their deemed university status and another 44 institutions among those who should be given a chance to improve over a period of three years.
The remaining 44 universities including the three in Maharashtra were listed among those with a recommendation for de-recognition of their deemed status. The HRD ministry had decided to de-recognise these 44 universities.
On January 25, 2010, the apex court passed an interim order asking the government to maintain status quo on the issue.
We have now two parallel inquiries, one conducted by the UGC directly and another conducted by the central government through Prof Tandon. But we find that the UGC had no occasion to examine the Tandon committee report. Further, we also notice that there is another report of the committee of officers, which has also not been placed before the UGC