In the latest notification released on July 23, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared 23 universities in 8 states as unrecognised, self-styled and fake.
“Students and public at large are hereby informed that at present 23 self-styled, unrecognised institutions are functioning in various parts of the country in contravention of the UGC Act,” UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said in a statement. Eight of these universities are in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Puducherry.
A fake university under UGC guidelines is one which is not established under a Central, State/ Provincial Act or one that is not deemed to be university under Section 3 of the UGC Act.
Section 23 of the UGC Act also prohibits the use of the word ‘University’ by any unrecognised institution/university.
Most of the institutions mentioned in the list have been on the UGC’s watchlist for over a decade now, despite the regulator’s annual claim that the Anti-Malpractice Cell (AMPC) has been taking legal action against them. Out of the 23 institutions, 14 also appear on the 2005-06 list of fake universities published by UGC.
These long-term offenders include four institutions in Delhi: Commercial University, United Nations University, Vocational University and ADR-Centric Juridical University. Seven institutions in Uttar Pradesh since 2005: Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya, Gandhi Hindi Vidyapeeth, National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Open University, Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya and the Maharana Partap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya.
Others, which have existed for 14 years despite UGC’s watchlist, include the Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society (Karnataka), St. John’s University (Kerala) and Raja Arabic University (Maharashtra).
Other institutions on the UGC’s list include the Indian Institution of Science and Engineering and Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Delhi), Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research (Kolkata), Nababharat Shiksha Parishad, North Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology (Odisha) and the Sree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education (Puducherry). The case of Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad (Uttar Pradesh) is currently sub-judice, said the UGC notice.
Students are advised to refer to the list of 23 unrecognised institutions and be aware of the locations of these universities functioning in contravention of the UGC Act.
Also Read: UGC’s Incompetence – Latest Fake University List of This Year Repeat of The Last 4 Years
