SYMBIOSIS OPEN EDUCATION SOC. THROUGH PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR AND ORS vs UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION AND ANR

Judgment text excerpt

SAYYED Digitally signed by SAYYED SAEED SAEED ALI 1 17.WP.2462.25.docx ALI AHMED ALI AHMED Date: 2025.03.06 Revati ALI 10:02:27 +0530 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 2462 OF 2025 Symbiosis Open Education Soc. Through Principal Director & Ors …Petitioners Versus University Grants Commission & Anr …Respondents ______________________________________________________ Mr Ravi Bharadwaj, a/w Siddheshwar Biradar, for the Petitioner. Mr Rui Rodrigues, for the Respondent. ______________________________________________________ CORAM M.S. Sonak & Jitendra Jain, JJ. DATED: 4 March 2025 ORAL JUDGMENT (Per M.S.Sonak, J.):- 1. Heard learned counsel for the parties. 2. Rule. The rule is made returnable immediately at the request of and with the consent of learned counsel for the parties. 3. The petitioner challenges the letter dated 19 December 2024 issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) rejecting the petitioner’s application seeking approval for Open Distance Learning (ODL) and Online (OL) programmes from the ensuing academic sessions. The petitioners contend that they satisfied the eligibility criteria in Regulation 3(A)(i) and 3(B)(b)(ii) of the UGC ODL/OL Regulations, 2022, 2 17.WP.2462.25.docx particularly after the petitioner university achieved National Institution of Ranking Framework (NIRF) Rank-1 as communicated on 12 August 2024. 4. Mr. Bharadwaj learned counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the judgment and order dated 28 June 2024 disposing of the petitioner’s Writ Petition No.7339 of 2023 had at para 57 and 58 directed the UGC to consider the petitioner’s case should the petitioners fulfil the NIRF ranking laid down by Ministry of Education, Government of India criteria in the meanwhile. He submitted t