New Delhi:
As colleges gear up for admissions for the next academic year, 44 deemed or private universities, who the government is trying to shut down, have been allowed to proceed with their admissions too.
The Supreme Court has rejected the central government's request to ban these universities from accepting new students.
Since a decision on their future has not been made, the court said, why should they be stopped from their normal procedures?
The government, in a report submitted in January, said that these universities were found to be below standard, and were functioning as "family fiefdoms." The government wanted these universities, most of them in Tamil Nadu, to be closed.
Deemed universities are allowed to function with complete autonomy on their syllabus, and fees. The government believes that many of these universities charge exorbitant rates, accept too many students, and ignore basic quota policies.
Nearly two lakh students panicked about how they'd be affected if their universities were suddenly derecognized. However, the Supreme Court has reassured them that it will not take any action without considering their concerns. The government also said that students at affected colleges would get certificates and degrees from state universities.
The colleges whose future is at stake have challenged the government's verdict of their academic standards, pointing out that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has given many of them positive reviews.