The Delhi High Court has sought response of the AAP government, University Grants Commission and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University on a PIL challenging the affiliations given by the varsity to educational institutions outside the national capital territory.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice
C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Delhi government, UGC and GGSIPU, and asked for their stand on the plea moved by an NGO which has sought striking down of a provision in the Indraprastha Vishwavidyalaya Act, which allows the varsity to grant affiliations to institutions in other states.
The court asked the city government, UGC and the varsity to file their affidavits before the next date of hearing on
October 1.
The petition by NGO Nishtaa has alleged that affiliations were granted by GGSIPU in a "wrongful and illegal manner to educational institutions situated outside the territorial jurisdiction of National Capital Territory of Delhi".
It sought directions restraining the varsity from granting such affiliations, like those given to SGIT School of Management, Amity Law School, JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus, which are located outside the territorial limits of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
The PIL also contended that Section 4(1) of the Indraprastha Vishwavidyalaya Act, enacted by the Delhi Legislative Assembly that defines the territorial jurisdiction of the university to be the National Capital Region, was "repugnant" to constitutional provisions. It said only Parliament can enact laws for the whole of the country and not a state legislature.
The plea claimed that GGSIPU has been granting affiliations to institutions outside Delhi on the basis of Section 4(1) of the Act.
The civil body added that even a UGC policy bars a varsity recognised by it from granting affiliations to institutes and colleges situated outside the state where the university is located.
It added that the affiliations granted by GGSIPU amounts to "playing with the future and career of thousands of unsuspecting students, who are unaware of the illegality in the affiliations and have taken admission in the affiliated colleges/institutes.."
The petition has sought directions to GGSIPU to "cease and desist from granting any further affiliations" outside the territorial jurisdiction of NCT of Delhi and to recall all such earlier affiliations.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)