के (cid:574)ीय सूचना आयोग Central Information Commission बाबा गंगनाथ माग१,मुिनरका

Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka नई िद(cid:671)ी, New Delhi – 110067 ि(cid:554)तीय अपील संূा / Second Appeal No. CIC/UGCOM/A/2024/140280 +

CIC/UGCOM/A/2024/134000 S. Narendar Reddy … अपीलकता१/Appellant VERSUS बनाम CPIO: University Grants Commission, New Delhi …ঋितवादीगण/Respondents Relevant dates emerging from the appeals:

SA : 15.10.2024 &

RTI : 15.07.2024 FA : 23.08.2024

07.12.2024 CPIO : Not on record FAO : Not on record Hearing : 15.07.2025 Date of Decision: 24.07.2025 CORAM:

Hon’ble Commissioner _ANANDI RAMALINGAM O R D E R

1. The Appellant filed an RTI application dated 15.07.2024 seeking information on the following points:

1. I request you to provide UGC Distance Education Bureau rules and regulations related M Phil distance education mode for the academic year

2008-09

2. I request you to provide Permission letter given to SRI VENKATESWARA UNIVERSITY, TIRUPATHI, ANDRA PRADESH to conduct M Phil in distance mode for the academic year 2008-09

2. Having not received any response from the CPIO, the Appellant filed a First Appeal on 23.08.2024. FAA’s order, if any, is not available on record.

3. Aggrieved with the non-receipt of the FAA’s order, the Appellant approached the Commission with the instant Second Appeals dated 15.10.2024 & 07.12.2024.

4. The appellant attended the hearing through video conference and on behalf of the respondent Sanjay Kumar, Under Secretary, attended the hearing in-person.

5. The appellant inter alia submitted that he had not received any reply or information in response to his RTI applications.

6. The respondent while defending their case inter alia submitted that they had not received the RTI applications in 2024. Further, on receipt of the RTI application along with the hearing notices, it was found that the address mentioned by the appellant was incorrect. In respect of the merits of the application, the following response was endorsed by the CPIO vide their latest written submissions dated 09.07.2025:

“With reference to the subject cited above, It is informed that all the relevant information as sought by the applicant vide offline RTI dated 15-07-2024 and offline Appeal dated 23.08.2024. it is informed that DEB UGC doesn't received any RTI or Appeal related this matter.

In addition to this appropriate reply is as under:-

Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) is a State University established by an Act of State Legislature. As per available records, the erstwhile regulator of distance education i.e. Distance Education Council has accorded 'Provisional recognition' to the university for the academic year 2007-08. Further, the university was accorded 'continuation of Provisional recognition' from the academic year 2008-09 to 2015-16. The information along with approved programmes is also displayed on UGC website at https://deb.ugc.ac.in/.

Further, the University was accorded the programme-wise recognition from the academic year 2016-17 to 2017-18 to offer specific ODL Programmes.

No recognition has been granted to it from 2018-19 to 2023-24 by DEB or UGC to offer any programme through distance mode.

Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) has been enlisted in the UGC public notice no: (F.No.74-2/2018(DEB-I), dated November, 2019 which contains the updated list of Category-I HEIs that have expressed intention to start offering programmes through ODL mode & submitted an affidavit stating that they shall scrupulously abide by the terms & conditions as stipulated under UGC (ODL)

Regulations, 2017 & its amendments & norms issued by Statutory Bodies/Councils from time to time.

For more details, kindly access the public notice, on the UGC website https://deb.ugc.ac.in/at the following https://www.ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/6073014 DEB-HEls-category-1-updatedlist 20-11-19.pdf_and go through the "Important information for stakeholder" given in the notice, carefully.

link:

UGC in its 563rd Commission meeting held on 22nd Novembe