In Brief
This landmark judgment addresses the validity of engineering degrees awarded by certain Deemed to be Universities through distance education without proper regulatory approvals. The Court held that Deemed Universities not conferred status for technical excellence must obtain AICTE approval before offering engineering courses, regardless of regulatory exemptions granted to regular Universities. The Court suspended degrees for students admitted 2001–2005, requiring them to pass AICTE-supervised examinations to retain validity, and cancelled degrees for later admissions. The judgment emphasizes that the Distance Education Council lacked jurisdiction to approve technical programmes without AICTE involvement and condemns the commercialization of education through unaccredited study centres. The Court directed investigations and reforms to strengthen regulatory oversight of Deemed Universities.",
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