The University Grants Commission (UGC) will move a plea before the Supreme Court seeking a month more for furnishing its advice to the HRD ministry on the 44 deemed universities, including three in Maharashtra, that are facing de-recognition in view of the recommendations made in 2009 by the ministry's task force headed by Prof P N Tandon.On January 21, the apex court had directed the UGC to furnish its advice to the ministry within two months (by March 21) after examining all the three reports related to deemed universities in the country, including the one by the Tandon panel and another one filed in October 2011 by a panel of officers, headed by HRD secretary Ashok Thakur, that inspected the 44 universities following the court's directives. A UGC's expert panel had earlier reviewed all deemed universities.
The UGC executive body, which decided on February 27 to request the Supreme Court for a month-long extension, is to meet on March 11 and 12 to take a view on the 44 deemed universities. This includes going through the three reports and response received from 44 institutions.Pune-based Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (TMV), Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences at Karad in neighbouring Satara district and D Y Patil Medical College in Kolhapur are three institutions from the state which figure in the list of 44 deemed universities.
Vice-chancellor of TMV Deepak Tilak said, "The UGC had asked for our comments and we have already forwarded our detailed stance on the matter to the commission. We have focused our response on the changes that have taken place at the TMV since the review exercise and recommendations by the Tandon panel and now."
Tilak said, "We have brought to the UGC's notice the steps related to the removal of deficiencies. The number of teaching faculty we had then and the same we have now. The number of research projects we have secured over these years, the state of infrastructure, library etc. We will wait for commission's move."
At the last hearing on January 21, the apex court bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Vikramjit Sen had observed that the UGC had no occasion to examine the Tandon committee report as well as the report by the Ashok Thakur panel. "Under such circumstances, we feel it appropriate to direct the UGC to examine all the reports, with notice to all 44 institutions concerned. The institutions are free to raise their objections against the reports and the UGC has to consider the same and take an independent decision in accordance with law, if necessary, after affording a hearing, within a period of two months from today," the bench said. The bench also clarified that UGC's advice was not binding on Centre.
In A Nutshell
The P N Tandon committee was set up by the HRD ministry as a consequence of the proceedings in the apex court for inspecting all the 126 deemed universities in the country. The proceedings were part of a public interest litigation (PIL) which is pending before the apex court since 2006. The PIL has been filed by lawyer Viplav Sharma.
In its report, submitted in 2009, the Tandon panel listed 38 institutions as truly worthy of continuing with their deemed university status and another 44 institutions among those who should be given a chance to improve over a period of three years.
The remaining 44 universities including the three in Maharashtra were listed among those with a recommendation for derecognition of their deemed status. The HRD ministry had decided to derecognise these 44 universities.
