The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) on a plea moved by University Grants Commission (UGC) alleging that the Arindam Chaudhuri-run institute was attempting to advertise itself as a B-school.
Justice Siddharth Mridul sought a response from IIPM on the apex higher education regulator body’s petition and posted the case for further hearing on October 30.
The High Court order came on UGC’s contempt petition claiming that IIPM was “attempting to do indirectly what they are not permitted to do directly, i.e., advertise itself as a B-school or hand out the same through proxies”.
Past direction
Advocate Arjun Harkauli, who appeared for the UGC, said the High Court had in September 2014 restrained IIPM from describing its academic programmes as MBA, BBA or management courses.
The court had then also directed IIPM to prominently display on its website the status of the foreign university, whose degree or certificate the students enrolling in the course will be entitled to. The UGC’s petition said IIPM does not have statutory recognition from the UGC, India’s technical education regulator — the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) or any other educational regulatory body.
Mr. Harkauli said in complete disregard of the court’s directions, IIPM has published an advertisement on its website inviting applications for a one-year full time ‘Global Management Programme in International Planning and Entrepreneurship — The 5 Country 2 Continent Program’.
‘Direct violation’
The advertisement mentions that students enrolled in the programme will undergo an ‘International Residency Programme in Advanced Global Management’ at a top B-school in Europe.
The UGC contended that in direct violation of the High Court direction IIPM has not disclosed the name, credentials and affiliations of the B-school that will grant the students enrolled their certificate. “Having knowledge about the B-school will have helped students assess the B-school and whether they wish to join IIPM or not,” the UGC said.
It pointed out that previously the foreign business school through which IIPM provided a degree was an unrecognised college run by Mr. Chaudhuri’s father. “By making references to such foreign B-schools, the respondent [IIPM] herein is trying to lure prospective students,” the UGC’s plea said.
The regulator said the advertisement issued by IIPM on its website along with the prospectus has the potential to mislead students and the public at large.
The plea sought to restrain IIPM from publishing the “offending prospectus and advertisement and to take it off their website”.