Relief to students: 38 varsities get clearance

In a huge relief to thousands of students, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it had cleared and graded the 38 deemed universities (which were sought to be de-recognised on the basis of the Tandon Committee report).

The NAAC said the assessment and gradation was done based on the 2012 Regulations of the NAAC and without considering the 2010 UGC Regulations and as per its assessment these deemed universities can continue to function.

Making this submission before a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C. Pant, additional solicitor-general Maninder Singh said the grades obtained by each of the 38 DUs will be put on the website and it will be open to them to respond. Senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for a few DUs, submitted that if the NAAC grades are acceptable to the UGC and the government, then we can offer our comments.

Welcoming the decision, SASTRA University dean S. Vaidhyasubramanian said, “With the Supreme Court accepting the NAAC’s new gradation, the ministry of human resource development should instruct the UGC to take all policy decisions based on NAAC accreditation and not on Tandon Committee’s classification of deemed universities.”

Taking note of the submissions, the bench posted the matter for further hearing in the second week of January 2016 and in the meanwhile asked the 38 DUs to put forth their grievances on the grades awarded to them.

Acting on a petition filed by advocate Viplav Sharma, the Centre during the course of hearing appointed the Tandon Committee, which classified the 122 DUs into three categories and 44 DUs, which fell in the third category, were sought to be de-recognised on the ground that they did not have the required infrastructure and that they had become “teaching shops”. It recommended de-recognition of 44 DUs.