New Delhi, August 26: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a list of 21 fake universities functioning across the country, cautioning students against trusting the claims of these institutions about the validity of the certificates they award.
Delhi leads the list with eight such fake universities, followed by Uttar Pradesh with four, and West Bengal and Odisha that have two each. While there are none in Tamil Nadu, its neighbours Union Territory of Puducherry, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra have one each.
“Students and public at large are hereby informed that presently 21 self-styled, unrecognised institutions which are functioning in contravention of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, have been declared as fake universities and these are not empowered to confer any degree,” the UGC said in the public notice issued on August 25.
Under Section 22 of the UGC Act, the right to confer or grant degrees should be exercised only by a university established, incorporated by or under a central Act, provincial Act, State Act, an institution deemed to be a University under Section 3 or an institution specially empowered by an Act of Parliament to confer or grant degrees, it added.
Except them, “…no person or authority shall confer, or grant, or hold himself or itself out as entitled to confer or grant, any degree… Further, Section 23 of the UGC Act prohibits the use ofthe word ‘University’ by any institution other than a university established as stated above,” the notice explained.
