SC declines to act against UoM over off-campus centres

The Supreme Court has declined to take any action against University of Mysore authorities for allowing opening off-campus centres of the varsity outside Karnataka, reportedly in violation of law.

A bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Amitava Roy took into record an affidavit filed by the varsity authorities stating that after the UGC objected to its outreach programmes, it has acted to discontinue fresh admissions in all its collaborative institutions. The varsity authorities also submitted its statute had allowed recognising private educational institutions outside Karnataka.

"The outreach programmes began in 2008-09 and it was followed till it was objected to by the UGC. No such programmes will be encouraged in future," it said.

The university authorities submitted the affidavit in a PIL filed by advocate Sravan Kumar on behalf of Ishu Sharma and others. They had sought penal action against those who put future of lakhs of candidates at stake by allowing opening off-campus centres of the varsity in violation of law.

The University of Mysore, in blatant violation of the law, established or granted affiliation to about 134 colleges and outreach centres outside the territory of Karnataka since 2008.

They had contended that opening such centres outside the territorial jurisdiction of state universities was in gross violation of SC's judgment in Prof Yashpal Vs State of Chhattisgarh (2005) case.

The petitioners - students - got themselves admitted to courses such as BBM, BBA, BCA, BCom, MCA and MBA for the academic sessions 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. But after the UGC's public notice as well as the letter clarifying that the University of Mysore was not authorised to open such centres, their future was at stake, the petitioners contended.

After the varisities said the students were being allowed to continue their course to mitigate any hardships, the court disposed of the matter saying nothing survived in it.