HC orders state to shut down 20 bogus institutions

Mumbai, Jan 30 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today directed the Maharashtra government to close down 20 institutions, allegedly running in the state without approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

A division bench comprising Justice Bilal Nazki and Sharad Bobade also asked the state to examine, within two weeks, initiating prosecution against these institutions for running bogus colleges.

A Thane resident Dinesh Kamat has moved the High Court seeking action against bogus institutions in the state, alleging that the institutions were duping students and spoiling their careers.

An advertisement released by the AICTE had revealed that there were total 112 fake institutions, including 28 which showed their affiliations to foreign universities.

The state government had set up a committee of educationists to examine these institutions as per earlier orders of the High Court.

The committee had found 58 institutions having proper approval from the All India body but 14 out of the rest did not respond to the state initiative at all and another six were found to be afiliated to Sikkim-Manipal University, Associate Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni today informed the court.

He said rest of the institutions were in the process of obtaining the required approval. Therefore, the court directed the state government to forthwith close 14 institutions, which failed to respond to the state intiative and in the light of a Supreme Court judgement - which says, universities, other than those established by Central Government, can not run courses outside their geographical jurisdiction. Similar action is directed to be taken against the institutions affiliated to Sikkim-Manipal University.

UNI XR OBB AG KK RN2006