CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police on a public interest litigation petition seeking action against the ICFAI University (Private) and the ICFAI National College for running study centres in Tamil Nadu without "valid approval and recognition."

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice Prabha Sridevan also stated that the notices must indicate that the appeal "may be disposed of finally at the admission stage itself."

The petitioner, Dr. K. Rajendran, Senate member of the Tamil Nadu Dr. M GR Medical University, sought direction to the authorities to act against the private university for "running a study centre without valid approval and recognition from competent authorities." He said such a direction would "safeguard students from exploitation" by private universities which were abolished by the Supreme Court in 2005.

According to the petitioner, the ICFAI University (Private), which was 73rd respondent in the case heard by the Supreme Court, was "fully aware of the fact that it had ceased to exist" pursuant to the order.

"But, they have chosen to issue advertisements calling for enrolment to various courses such as MBA and MCA in both distance education and regular stream."

The private university, he said, was running professional courses without taking prior permission from regulatory bodies such as the All-India Council for Technical Education, the Medical Council of India, the Dental Council of India and the Bar Council of India.

"The State Government has not done any verification as to whether the private university fulfilled any norms laid down by statutory bodies before permitting it to establish various campus and study centres in the State," Dr. Rajendran said.

Claiming that the private university had no "substantive content" to award degrees, the petitioner said such degrees would affect the standard of education and would jeopardise education system in the country.

He said the University Grants Commission, which had a duty and responsibility to coordinate the standard of teaching curriculum, had not taken note of the existence of the private university despite the Supreme Court order.

He said the Chief Secretary and the DGP of Tamil Nadu had remained "mute spectators and were ignoring the fraud" being committed on students. He prayed for a direction to the authorities to take appropriate action against the private university and its "mushrooming" study centres.

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