PIL in HC against IPU affiliations to outside Delhi colleges

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sought response of the AAP government, University Grants Commission and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University on a PIL challenging the affiliations given by the varsity to educational institutions outside the national capital territory.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Delhi government, UGC and GGSIPU, and asked for their stand on the plea moved by an NGO which has sought striking down of a provision in the Indraprastha Vishwavidyalaya Act, which allows the varsity to grant affiliations to institutions in other states.

The court asked the city government, UGC and the varsity to file their affidavits before the next date of hearing on October 1. The petition by NGO Nishtaa has alleged that affiliations were granted by GGSIPU in a "wrongful and illegal manner to educational institutions situated outside Delhi". It sought directions restraining the varsity from granting such affiliations, like those given to SGIT School of Management, Amity Law School, JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus, which are located outside the territorial limits of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

The PIL also contended that Section 4(1) of the Indraprastha Vishwavidyalaya Act, enacted by the Delhi Legislative Assembly that defines the territorial jurisdiction of the university to be the National Capital Region, was "repugnant" to constitutional provisions. It said only Parliament can enact laws for the whole of the country and not a state

legislature.