In three months, the Centre is planning to bring guidelines to spell out uniform standards for deemed universities. The HRD Ministry on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the process could take three months as experts were being consulted for framing the regulations.
The absence of any fixed criteria to assess deemed universities had led the Supreme Court to crack whip leading to 44 deemed universities being blacklisted by an Expert Committee constituted by the Government.
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta apprised the Supreme Court of the Government’s decision when the court was hearing the arguments by few of the 44 universities who still face the prospect of losing their deemed status.
Mehta said, “The Union of India has taken a decision that the proper criteria or guidelines should be laid down after consulting all the stakeholders so that the issue is settled once and for all.” The Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Vikramjit Sen noted it in its order before adjourning the matter to April 6.
In this regard, the Centre will consult the UGC and AICTE and other stakeholders, an exercise which is expected to take another three months. The Bench further asked the Centre to apprise of the action taken on the UGC report following inspection of 41 deemed universities.
“The Centre is obliged to take a decision,” the Bench said and allowed the counsel for deemed universities to respond to the report of the Centre before next date of hearing.
Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh pointed out on behalf of UGC that inspection of eight deemed universities was over. Of them, seven were eligible for grant of recognition for another year.