New Delhi: Government will move the Supreme
Court to challenge stay orders of High Courts in some states
on an UGC direction to all deemed universities that they
should not call themselves as universities.
Acting on the instruction of the government, the
University Grants Commission (UGC) had last year directed 130
deemed-to-be-universities not to use the word university with
their names. Rather they should write their names followed by
'deemed-to-be-university', the UGC had said.
A number of institutions challenged the order in different
High Courts which have stayed the UGC direction.
"Various High Courts, including Madras High Court, have
stayed the UGC order. The government will move the Supreme
Court to seek vacation of the stay order," a HRD Ministry
official said.
The deemed university status is given under Section-3 of
the UGC Act to institutions of excellence. Such institutions
used to call themselves 'deemed-to-be-university' till 2006.
However, these institutions were allowed by the UGC to
remove the word 'deemed' from their name and identify
themselves as universities in 2006. The UGC had given the
permission following a recommendation by a committee
comprising heads of UGC and All India Council of Technical
Education (AICTE) and a former Secretary of Higher Education.
But the UGC decision was later challenged in the Delhi
High Court. The petitioner claimed that the notification had
created confusion with no visible difference between a
university set up under an Act of Parliament or state
legislature and a deemed university set up under the
University Grants Commission Act, 1956.
The HRD Ministry then asked the UGC to withdraw its
notification of 2006. The UGC was also asked to direct the
deemed universities not to use the word 'university' with
their names.
A number of private deemed universities like Shanmuga
Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy, Vellore
Institute of Technology and SRM and Sathyabama have challenged
the UGC direction.
PTI
First Published: Monday, March 29, 2010, 14:22