NEW DELHI: As many as 20 universities in India have been termed fake by the University Grants Commission (UGC), with Delhi reporting the highest number of such institutions.
The list also includes universities from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
In a letter to the Vice-Chancellors of these 20 universities, the UGC said that they figure in the list of “fake universities” as they are not a “university” within the meaning of Section 2(f) or Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, but engaged in the business of conferring degrees or "using the word university with its name to defraud and cheat innocent students by awarding fake degrees."
“It has become a matter of concern as many students are becoming victims of the fraudulent act of your institution.”
They were also asked to submit a compliance report within 15 days stating that their institution is not awarding any degree.
“If no response is received from your side within the stipulated period, UGC shall be compelled to take strict action, including legal action against your university.”
Of the 20 such fake universities, eight were from Delhi. These are All India Institute of Public & Physical Health Sciences (AIIPHS) State Government University in Alipur; Commercial University Ltd., Darya Ganj; United Nations University; Vocational University; ADR-Centric Juridical University, Rajendra Place; Indian Institute of Science and Engineering; Viswakarma Open University for Self-Employment; and Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University) in Rohini.
In Andhra Pradesh, the UGC listed Christ New Testament Deemed University in Guntur and Bible Open University of India in Visakhapatnam.
In Karnataka: Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society in Belgaum, while in Kerala, St. John’s University in Kishanattam was listed as a fake university.
In Maharashtra, the UGC named Raja Arabic University in Nagpur as a fake university, while in Puducherry, it identified Sree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education as one.
In Uttar Pradesh, it listed four universities. These are Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Allahabad; National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur; Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Aligarh; and Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad in Lucknow.
In West Bengal, the UGC said the Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine and the Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research are fake universities.
The UGC has also written to the state government's Department of Higher Education and Principal Secretaries, urging them to take appropriate action against the fake institutions in their respective states.