In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed multiple applications seeking clarification and modification of an earlier judgment concerning the validity of engineering degrees awarded through distance education by Deemed-to-be Universities. While rejecting most exemption requests, the Court clarified that diploma courses were not covered by the original judgment. As a one-time exception, it allowed candidates enrolled during 2001–2005 to retain their degrees and employment benefits if they passed the AICTE test on their first attempt. Those who failed or did not appear would have their degrees suspended. The Court held that the fundamental infirmity in the degrees—that distance engineering education was never AICTE-approved and study centres never inspected—could not be waived despite candidates' subsequent professional advancement."
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