gave Delhi High Court on Wednesday demanded the Center to take action against the proliferation of fake higher education institutions. Terming it a serious problem, a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Kariya said that students attracted to such bogus institutes are usually from small towns, who spend their time and resources but end up with degrees that do not make them employable. The court, which was hearing a plea filed by advocate Shashank Dev Siddhi for action against fake universities, sought an affidavit from the central government, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) indicating steps taken to curb the proliferation of such institutions. “We also call upon the learned Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India for respondent no. 1 (Union of India) to draw the attention of the Education Department authorities to the issues raised in the petition and press them to take necessary action,” the court said. “Such a plea has been made by the court because students attracted to such institutes, if they pursue their courses, end up wasting their time, energy and resources as they will acquire degrees and qualifications that will not make them employable,” it added. The court also asked the Delhi government to indicate the action it would take after setting up a committee to probe the operation of fake universities in Delhi. “The said affidavit shall state whether any information has been collected by the said committee and what action has been taken to check the running of such bogus higher education institutions,” the court ordered, as it listed the matter for next hearing in August. ASG Chetan Sharma said the situation was “shocking” as there were fake universities offering vocational courses as well as law and even medicine courses. “This is not shocking. This information is available to everyone,” the court replied. In her PIL, Sodhi has sought directions from the authorities to curb the proliferation of fake universities and unrecognized educational institutions operating in the capital as well as in different parts of the country. The petitioner contended that the continued operation of fake universities is a fraud on the public and has violated the basic rights of thousands of students to education and livelihood. The PIL demanded criminal prosecution against all institutions identified as “fake universities” as well as a CBI probe against those involved in their creation. PTI
