University Grants Commission Act, 1956

The Chancellor of Kannur University re‑appointed Dr. Gopinath Ravindran as Vice‑Chancellor for a second four‑year term after the expiry of his first term, despite a pending selection process and a statutory age limit of sixty years. The petitioners challenged the re‑appointment on grounds that (i) re‑appointment is not…

The appellants, teachers promoted to Reader and Professor under the University Grants Commission's merit promotion scheme, were placed senior to directly recruited faculty in Vikram University's seniority list. The directly recruited respondents challenged this placement, and the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the d…

Dr. Sushil Kumar Tripathi was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science of Jagadguru Ram Bhadracharya Handicapped University under a UGC grant for the Tenth Five Year Plan. After protesting a monthly deduction of Rs.5,000 from his salary, his annual increments were stopped and the universi…

The petitioners, 92 diploma‑holding professionals, were admitted to B.Tech. programmes offered by Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), Patiala, through open and distance learning. TIET had obtained only provisional recognition from the Distance Education Council (DEC) but no prior approval from the Un…

Dr. S, a professor at AIIMS, was a member of the Dental Council under Section 3(d) of the Dentists Act, 1948. After his retirement, AIIMS nominated Har! Prakash to fill the vacancy, but the Council terminated his membership, holding that AIIMS was not a "University established by law" and thus could not nominate a memb…

The Supreme Court examined a batch of writ petitions challenging the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines dated 06 July 2020, which required all Indian universities to complete final year examinations by 30 September 2020 amid the COVID‑19 pandemic. Petitioners argued that the guidelines were ultra‑violet of A…

The State of Gujarat appealed the discharge of Mansukhbhai Kanjibhai Shah, a trustee of Sumandeep Charitable Trust which runs a deemed university, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The charge sheet alleged that Shah demanded Rs 20 lakhs to allow a student to appear for examinations, constituting a corrupt p…

Archana Girish Sabnis, who held a Licentiate of the Court of Examiners in Homoeopathy (LCEH), was admitted to an LLB programme at the University of Mumbai, completed her law degrees and applied for enrollment as an advocate. The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, and subsequently the Bar Council of India, rejected her…

Bharati Vidyapeeth, a society declared a deemed university under the UGC Act, had admitted students to its medical, engineering and dental colleges through the State's Common Entrance Test (CET) until 1995‑96. After obtaining deemed‑university status, it sought to conduct its own All‑India entrance test and challenged …

The Association of Management of Private Colleges, whose members are colleges affiliated to Bharathidasan University and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, filed writ petitions seeking to bar the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) from exercising jurisdiction over their MBA and MCA programmes. The High C…

The Supreme Court examined whether the University Grants Commission (UGC) 1985 Regulations, which require a three‑year bachelor's degree before admission to a master's programme, apply to open universities and bind them. It held that the Regulations are statutory, mandatory and prevail over the Open University Act; con…

Shashikant S. Pujari was appointed as a part‑time lecturer on a clock‑hour basis in 1983 and later served intermittently as a full‑time lecturer without the requisite approval of the University Selection Committee and without satisfying the qualifications prescribed under the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulati…

The Nehru Gram Bharati Deemed University admitted students to a two‑year Basic Teachers Certificate (BTC) course for the 2008‑09 and 2009‑10 sessions after being declared a deemed university in 2008. Although it had earlier obtained permission from the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) in 2005, it failed to…

Seven petitioners who enrolled in 2004-2005 for engineering degrees through open distance learning at a deemed university challenged the validity of their degrees, seeking writs directing AICTE to clarify that such degrees are valid without its approval. The central issue was whether a deemed university can launch engi…

Bharathidasan University, a full‑fledged university recognised under the UGC Act, began offering several technology programmes without obtaining prior approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). AICTE filed a writ petition seeking to restrain the university from running those courses, arguing t…

Oxford University Press, a branch of the UK university, claimed exemption from income tax for its 1976-77 earnings under Section 10(22) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, arguing that the income belonged to a university existing solely for educational purposes. The Income Tax Officer rejected the claim; the Commissioner (App…

The petitioners, students who completed a medical course at Vinayaka Mission University's off‑shore campus in Bangkok, sought to appear for the Medical Council of India's screening test, claiming their provisional MBBS certificate qualified as a primary medical qualification. The High Court Single Judge allowed their a…

Professor (Dr.) Sreejith filed a writ petition challenging the appointment of Dr. Rajasree as Vice‑Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, alleging that the appointment violated UGC Regulations which require a search committee to recommend a panel of three to five names. The Kerala High Court had dismis…

The Supreme Court considered whether the University Grants Commission (UGC) could prescribe aggregate qualifying percentages for the 2012 National Eligibility Test (NET) after candidates satisfied the paper‑wise minimum marks. The petitioners (UGC) contended that such criteria were within its statutory authority under …

The Governor‑cum‑Chancellor of Bihar appointed several Vice‑Chancellors and Pro‑Vice‑Chancellors without adhering to the statutory requirement of meaningful consultation with the State Government under the Bihar State Universities Act and the Patna University Act. Dr. Ram Tawakya Singh, a professor, challenged these ap…

The appellants, who held post‑graduate degrees in microbiology, food science and technology, applied for the post of Food Safety Officer (FSO) under a Jharkhand Public Service Commission notification that required a "degree" in specified subjects or a Master’s in Chemistry. After clearing the written exam, they were di…

The Supreme Court examined appeals filed by Allahabad University and its affiliated colleges challenging a Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court that had read down Regulation 10(f)(iii) of the UGC 2018 Regulations, holding it inapplicable to the shortlisting of Assistant Professor candidates. The petitioners argue…

The Supreme Court examined four notifications issued by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Dental Council of India (DCI) that introduced a single National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS, BDS and postgraduate medical courses. Petitioners, including Christian Medical College Vellore an…

The Supreme Court examined the validity of the University Grants Commission's (UGC) exemption dates for candidates seeking lecturer appointments without clearing the eligibility test. The petitioners (UGC) argued that the circulars of 1993 and the 1995 notification, which set cut‑off dates of 31 December 1992/1993 for …

The case concerned the appointment of Dr. M.S. Jayakumar as Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kerala in 2012. Dr. Jayakumar held a Ph.D. awarded in 2006, i.e., before the 2009 Ph.D. Regulations that introduced a NET exemption only for Ph.D. degrees obtained under those regulations. The Kerala High Court and it…

The Supreme Court examined whether the University Grants Commission (UGC) could, through regulations under the UGC Act, impose a composite scheme that revised pay scales and raised the retirement age of teachers from 62 to 65 years on State universities and colleges. The petitioners argued that the UGC's recommendation…

The petitioners sought an extension of the time schedule for online counselling and admission to technical courses of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, arguing that many seats remained vacant and AICTE had not adhered to its prescribed timetable. The University had issued a notification for supplementary couns…

The petitioners, holders of Ph.D. and M.Phil. degrees awarded before 31 December 2009, challenged the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations (Third Amendment) 2009 which made the NET/SLET exam a mandatory minimum eligibility condition for appointment as Lecturers/Assistant Professors, arguing that the regulatio…

Dr. Janet Jeyapaul, a senior lecturer at SRM University (a deemed university), was served a termination notice for alleged failure to conduct classes. She challenged the termination by filing a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution, which was initially allowed by a Single Judge who ordered her reinstateme…

The case concerned the promotion of Assistant Engineers in the Central Public Works Department to the post of Executive Engineer. Under the 1954 Recruitment Rules, only graduate Assistant Engineers were eligible, but a 1972 proviso allowed diploma‑holder engineers with "outstanding ability and record" to be promoted. T…

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (India) (IME) conducts bi‑annual examinations and awards a Certificate of Membership (AMIE). Historically, the Government of India recognised this certificate as equivalent to a degree or diploma for Central Government recruitment, but the High Court held it was not equivalent to…

The Osmania University Teachers Association challenged the Andhra Pradesh Commissionerate of Higher Education Act, 1986, alleging that it was a duplicate of the University Grants Commission Act and fell within the Union's exclusive legislative field under Entry 66 of List I. The State argued that the Act pertained to e…

The appellants, members of Commercial University Ltd (CUL), were prosecuted under Section 24 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 for continuing to use the word "University" and for conferring degrees after the Act came into force, despite CUL being incorporated under the Companies Act, 1913. The central issue…

The case concerned the eligibility of candidates holding a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree for the post of Assistant Professor (Education) in Uttar Pradesh universities. The Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Service Selection Commission (UPHESSC) initially rejected an M.Ed. holder, but later issued a corrigendum accept…

The Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), Thapar Polytechnic and the Technological Institute of Textile & Science (TIT&S) reserved a small percentage of seats for the wards of their employees, despite being private or aided technical institutions. The affiliating university and the Punjab State Governm…

The Supreme Court examined the role of the Andhra Pradesh Government in granting essentiality certificates required for establishing new medical or dental colleges under the Medical Council of India Act and its Regulations. The High Court had held that the State had no authority to decide the location of such colleges,…

The Supreme Court examined whether the West Bengal government could re‑appoint the Vice‑Chancellor of Calcutta University under the Calcutta University Act, 1979. The High Court had set aside the State’s re‑appointment order, holding that only the Chancellor could appoint or re‑appoint the VC and that Section 60 could …

Dr. Kalyani Mathivanan was appointed Vice‑Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University by a Tamil Nadu government order, but two writ petitions challenged her appointment on the ground that she did not satisfy the eligibility criteria prescribed in the UGC Regulations, 2010. The High Court set aside the appointment, holdin…

The Supreme Court examined whether the admissions of the second batch of MBBS students by Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute in the 2009‑10 academic year were lawful. The Institute admitted the students despite explicit directions from the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Ministry of Health & Family We…

Prof. Yashpal and other petitioners filed writ petitions under Article 32 challenging the Chhattisgarh Niji Kshetra Vishwavidyalaya (Sthapana Aur Viniyaman) Act, 2002 and its 2004 amendment, alleging that Sections 5 and 6, which allow the State to create private universities by Gazette notification without any infrastr…

The State of Andhra Pradesh enacted the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education Act, 1988 to address gaps identified in the earlier 1986 Commissionerate Act, which had been struck down as ultra vires in Osmania University Teachers Association. A university teacher challenged the 1988 Act, arguing that it encro…

The Supreme Court considered a reference to determine the criteria for an educational institution to be considered a minority institution under Article 30 of the Constitution, and whether the decision in Azeez Basha (which held that Aligarh Muslim University was not a minority institution because it was established by …

The Delhi High Court upheld the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations of 1991 that require a written eligibility test for appointment of lecturers in Delhi University and its affiliated colleges. The University challenged the regulations as beyond UGC's competence, directory rather than mandatory, and an infri…

The State of West Bengal appointed 24 Vice‑Chancellors in 2022, but the High Court held the State‑constituted Search Committee invalid for lacking a UGC‑nominated member, rendering those appointments unlawful. Subsequent attempts by the State to extend tenures and appoint interim Vice‑Chancellors were also challenged, …

Pramod Kumar was appointed as an ad‑hoc Assistant Teacher in 1988 on the basis of a B.Ed. degree from Maithili Vishwa Vidyapeeth, an institution not recognised under the University Grants Commission Act. When the management discovered the degree was unrecognised, he was directed to obtain a B.Ed. from a recognised univ…

Colonel Indra Veer Singh Gahlot, an officer of the Armed Forces Medical Services, was considered for promotion to Brigadier in 2011 but was not selected. He challenged the promotion decision, arguing that the 2004 promotion policy could not be amended before five years and that the 2006 amendment restricting Ph.D. mark…

The Chaudhary Devi Lal University advertised for a Reader in Public Administration and appointed Dr. Rajbir Singh Dalal, who holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science. A lecturer challenged the appointment, arguing that the appellant lacked the required qualification in the "relevant subject" under UGC regulations. …

The Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, which created a board to regulate standards, teacher qualifications and examinations in madrasas, was struck down by the Allahabad High Court on the ground that it violated secularism and Articles 14 and 21A of the Constitution. The petitioners challenged the High…

The petitioners filed a public‑interest writ in the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking a mandamus to stop the University Grants Commission (UGC) from starting graduate and postgraduate courses in Jyotir Vigyan (Vedic Astrology). The High Court dismissed the petition as non‑maintainable, and the petitioners appealed to t…

The appellants, who had been appointed as ad‑hoc lecturers in Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University under s.13(6) of the U.P. State Universities Act, 1973 between August 1990 and February 1991, sought substantive appointment under the U.P. State Universities (Amendment) Act, 1992. The key question was which set of…

The Supreme Court held that the right to education is a fundamental right flowing from Article 21, but it is limited to free education up to the age of fourteen and thereafter subject to the State’s economic capacity. The Court rejected the notion of a fundamental right to establish or obtain recognition for educationa…

The Supreme Court examined whether deemed‑to‑be universities could award engineering degrees through open‑distance learning without the approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). It held that AICTE is the exclusive authority to lay down norms for technical education and that the Distance Educati…

The Maharshi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Vishwavidyalaya, a university created under the 1995 Act to impart Vedic and other education, challenged the Amendment Act 5 of 2000 which altered Section 4(1) to restrict instruction to Vedic learning only, deleted the phrase “dissemination of knowledge”, and added a proviso requiring St…

The petitioner challenged the appointment of respondent No.4 as Vice‑Chancellor of Sardar Patel University, alleging that the appointment violated the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2010/2018 which require ten years of professorial experience and a search committee constituted as per those regulations.…

Two homoeopathic colleges, Bhartiya Homoeopathy College, Bharatpur and Yuvraj Pratap Senior Memorial Homoeopathy Medical College, Alwar, were affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Homoeopathic Medicine and conducted B.H.M.S. examinations through the Board until 1994. The State Government, following a Supreme Court decis…

The appellants, teachers employed in colleges affiliated to the State of Kerala, sought enhancement of their retirement age to 65 years as prescribed in the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2010, which Kerala had adopted but did not implement. They filed a writ petition in the Kerala High Court; both the…

The appellants, who held B.L.S. degrees obtained through distance education from Alagappa University, applied for appointment as school librarians under the Bihar Municipality Secondary and Higher Secondary Teachers (Appointment and Service Condition) Rules, 2006 (amended 2008). The High Court dismissed their writ peti…