The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the central government, the University Grants Committee (UGC) and fashion institute Fashionista on a plea by a student alleging that it was running illegally and playing with the careers of innocent students.

The plea sought direction to blacklist Fashionista, The School of Fashion Technology, declare it illegal and take penal action against those managing it as it had got its affiliation illegally.

Justice G S Sistani, issuing notice to central government through the ministry of human resource development, also asked the Delhi government, the distance education council (DEC), the Mahatma Gandhi University, Meghalaya, the UGC and the institute to file their responses within six weeks and posted the matter for July 12.

The petition, filed by Mohammad Sajid, a student at the institute, alleged that the institute claimed that it has technical collaboration with the Meghalaya varsity, and is running various degree and diploma courses without approval or affiliation either from the UGC or DEC or the Delhi government.

The institute does not have any legal sanctity or validity to run the courses, it contended. Sajid said that he applied for the admission to a diploma course in interior design for the academic session 2012-14 and deposited the fee of over Rs one lakh.

However, when he started attending classes, he came to know that the claims made by the institute in the advertisement as well as in the prospectus are absolutely false, baseless and wrong.

“It was further informed that the institute is well-equipped with studio and laboratories, library and well-qualified teaching staff,” the petition said.

 “But, in fact, there was no regular qualified staff, hardly any audio visual CDs, documentary collection, the library had hardly any relevant books or magazines, the studio and laboratory was ill-equipped, as most of the necessary instruments and equipment were either not available,” it added.