Supreme Court seeks affidavit on private universities from Telangana government

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court directed the Telangana government to submit a detailed private universities affidavit after conducting inspections into the functioning of private universities across the state. The direction came during the hearing of the Ayesha Jain vs Union of India case, in which the court examined complaints related to private universities.

The apex court sought comprehensive information on the objectives behind establishing private universities, their governance, admission procedures, faculty qualifications, financial management and compliance with statutory norms. It also ordered state governments to verify the information and place the findings before the court through affidavits.

In compliance with the directions, the Telangana government constituted a committee headed by the Chairman of the Commissioner of Collegiate Education (CCE). The committee includes the Secretary of the Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) as convener, the Registrar of JNTU as member-convener, the Registrar of Palamuru University, the Chief Finance and Accounts Officer of Osmania University and the Assistant Director (Academic-C) of the Technical Education Department. The government also authorised the committee to appoint a subject expert if required.

Private universities affidavit to cover nine key areas

The committee has been inspecting every private university in Telangana and preparing a report on the nine issues identified by the Supreme Court. These include the purpose behind establishing each university, land allotments and government concessions, the management structure, admission procedures, faculty recruitment, regulatory inspections, financial operations under the “no profit, no loss” principle, grievance redressal mechanisms and compliance with UGC norms on staff salaries.

The committee is also examining whether universities have followed legal and regulatory requirements, whether inspections are conducted regularly and whether any violations have been identified. It is reviewing audit records, governance practices and measures taken to address complaints from students and faculty.

The Telangana government will submit the private universities affidavit before the Supreme Court after the inspection process is completed. The court is expected to decide the next course of action based on the affidavit and the committee’s findings.