Parliament Question: Malpractices by Institutions Seeking University Recognition

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3596 ANSWERED ON – 10/08/2026 Malpractices by Institutions Seeking University Recognition 3596. Shri Kunduru Raghuveer: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has received complaints regarding submission of false information, fabricated documents and misrepresentation of infrastructure, faculty and financial resources by institutions seeking recognition as Universities or Deemed-to-be Universities; (b) if so, the number of complaints received, verified and found genuine during the last five years, along with the action taken thereon, State-wise; (c) whether the Government has noticed instances where institutions, after obtaining recognition, remove qualified faculty shown during inspections and appoint unqualified or inadequate qualified teaching staff in violation of prescribed norms, if so, the details thereof; (d) whether periodic inspections, surprise audits and digital verification of faculty, infrastructure and academic standards are conducted after recognition to ensure continued compliance, if so, the details thereof; and (e) the measures taken by the Government to strengthen transparency, ensure continuous compliance with UGC norms and impose stringent penalties, including suspension or withdrawal of recognition, against institutions found indulging in such malpractices and compromising the quality of higher education? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (e): As per the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, a University is established by or under a Central Act, a State Act or a Provincial Act and an Institution is declared as Deemed to be University by the Central Government, on the advice of UGC, under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. In order to regulate the process of declaration of an institution as Institution Deemed to be University and also to maintain the quality of higher education imparted by such Institutions Deemed to be Universities, UGC notified the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023. As per these Regulations, a sponsoring body of an institution, fulfilling the eligibility criteria as mentioned in the regulations, is required to upload all its documents viz. infrastructure, faculty, academic standards, governance, research activities, and financial resources on web portal of UGC.The Expert Committee constituted by UGC conducts a comprehensive virtual assessment of an institution seeking Deemed to be University status. It verifies the institution's claims regarding infrastructure, faculty, academic standards, governance, research activities, and financial resources, and assesses compliance with the applicable UGC Regulations. Based on its findings, the Committee submits a detailed evaluation report with recommendations to the UGC. Also, sponsoring body gives a legal undertaking that all the information, facts and figures provided before the inspection and during the inspection are true and correct and shall follow and abide by all the rules, regulations, and guidelines issued from time to time by UGC and concerned Statutory Council(s). As per these Regulations, the sponsoring body is also required to ensure that the copies of the documents uploaded on the UGC’s web portal are disclosed on the website of the institution, duly certified by the Head of the institution or sponsoring body, as the case may be. However, upon receipt of any complaint against the accuracy and veracity of the information submitted to the Commission and also hosted on the website of the institution, the Commission shall decide on the physical verification of an institution deemed to be University or constitute teams for such verification on its own. Further, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 contemplates that HEIs shall be responsible and accountable to the stakeholders through transparent self-disclosure of all relevant records. In view of the provisions of the NEP, 2020, the UGC has issued the Public Self-Disclosure Guidelines, 2024. Accordingly, every Higher Education Institution is required to maintain a functional website for making relevant self-disclosure to the stakeholders. *****