Chennai: Madras High Court has issued orders for closing off-campus centres and study centres run by the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) Society in Tamil Nadu. A Division Bench, comprising Justices S J Mukhopadhaya and V Dhanapalan decided that ICFAI Society and ICFAI University have no legal right to run institutions of this kind in the state of Tamil Nadu. Hence they were restrained from running such institutions in the state.
The court concluded that as per regulations, no off-campus centres or study centres could be opened without prior approval of UGC and state governments. These centres would only be allowed to function only after approval of UGC and Tamil Nadu government. Statutory bodies such as the All India Council for Technical Education, UGC or another equivalent body will take constructive steps to bring in appropriate rules and regulations with severe penal provisions to scotch all irregular and illegal institutions.
The Bench discarded ICFAI's argument that it offers degrees only within the territorial jurisdiction of the state of Uttaranchal and had no study centres, constituent colleges and off campus centres beyond the territory of that state and it was not granting degrees in violation of UGC regulations. The Bench noted that the counter affidavit filed by ICFAI clearly explains that the society had established an all India network of 200 branch offices and set up around 180 centres for full time campus based programmes and conducted exams at over 100 test centres all over India four times a year.
The court ruled that despite knowing that AICTE is empowered to regulate imparting of technical education in the country, the ICFAI and ICFAI University could not claim that they did not require the approval of UGC and AICTE for imparting such education country wide.
