A news item has appeared in a section of Media stating that UGC is redundant. However, the Government wishes to clarify its position as under: The information is absolutely incorrect, misrepresented and misleading and intended to create a negative perception of Government. The Ministry of HRD has at no point of time held that UGC is redundant either in their affidavit or in the Counsels argument. In connection with two matters, viz. the SRM Deemed to be University and the Manakula Vinayagar Academy of Higher Education being heard by the Honble Supreme Court on the 14th of October, 2014, the Additional Solicitor General of India Mr Paramjit Singh Patwalia submitted before the Honble Court that there have been two distinct views held by the two esteemed High Courts of Madras and Karnataka respectively on the Institutions (Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2010 which have given two different judgments, one upholding the Regulations and the other quashing them. Therefore the allegation by the newspaper that the Centre has argued that the order of the High Court of Karnataka is applicable to the rest of the country is misleading. The Government has already filed its appeal in the Karnataka High Court challenging its order quashing the Regulations, and the ASG sought the permission of the Honble Supreme Court to transfer the appeals which are pending in the Honble High Court of Karnataka to the Honble Supreme Court to adjudicate on the matter in the interest of maintenance of quality of Higher Education imparted by Institutions Deemed to be Universities.
