The Supreme Court today asked the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) to put in the public domain within three days the gradation of deemed universities done by it.
A bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh was informed by Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh that the NAAC has considered various aspects including self-appraisal report of these universities and put the information regarding their gradation on the website.
"Let us know the NAAC grading. If someone is left out and aggrieved, then we will ask Union of India, UGC and the NAAC to look into it," the bench said while fixing the batch of petitions for hearing in third week of January next year.
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The apex court had earlier asked all deemed universities to file their "self-appraisal report" with the NAAC for award of grades.
It had given three months time to the NAAC to decide on the issue of accreditation and grades of the 121 deemed universities.
"The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) shall not insist for the compliance of the 2010 regulations. The Universities are directed to submit the self appraisal report within ten days," it had then said and made it clear that any decision of the NAAC would be subject to the outcome of a PIL questioning the procedure of granting recognition to such universities.
(Reopens LGD16)
Earlier, the court had rapped the UGC on the physical verification of infrastructure and faculty strength of deemed universities, which were black-listed by a government- appointed committee.
The remarks were made when the UGC counsel was trying to explain the circumstances causing the delay by submitting that there was a need to modify the apex court order as the commission cannot go the way P N Tandon Committee categorised the deemed universities.
The UGC had said it could only do the inspection after seeking response of such universities, place the report with the government which would then express its view before the court.
The bench had asked the UGC to comply with its earlier direction and conduct physical verification of the 41 deemed universities. It had said that after completing the procedure of verification and rectification of deficiencies, the UGC will file its report both to the Centre and the apex court.
The universities had gone to the Supreme Court after they were put in the 'C' category in 2009 by Committee headed by P N Tandon, a retired professor from prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Prior to this, 44 deemed universities were found to be unfit for the status by the Tandon committee. However, the number came down to 41 after two of them surrendered the deemed varsity tag, while the third one was converted into a centre of national importance.
After the Supreme Court's direction, UGC had in October last year set up a committee under its vice chairperson H Devaraj to conduct physical verification of seven universities whose deemed category status had come under question.
