Power to confer autonomous status rests with UGC. Universities must notify such status as per UGC Regulations.

ORDER

This Writ Petition has been filed by the petitioner seeking a direction to the 2^nd respondent to notify autonomous status granted to the petitioner college by the 1^st respondent vide order dated 20.02.2026 for a period of five years from 2026 – 2027 to 2030 – 2031 as per Clause 4.2 of the University Grants Commission (Conferment of Autonomous Status upon Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Autonomous Colleges) Regulations, 2023 (in short ‘the Regulations’) forthwith.

2. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner, the learned Central Government Standing Counsel accepting notice for the 1^st respondent and the learned Standing Counsel accepting notice for the 2^nd respondent.

3. The case of the petitioner is as follows:

(i) Pursuant to the approval granted by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) dated 03.08.2011 and the affiliation granted by the Anna University dated 09.08.2011, the petitioner college was started. It is now affiliated to the 2^nd respondent. It has been functioning for more than 15 years continuously with the approval of the AICTE and the affiliation from the 2^nd respondent from time to time. It has also been accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council vide certificate of accreditation dated 27.02.2025. It has been included in the list of colleges by the 1^st respondent under Section 2(f) of the University Grants Commission Act under the non- government college teaching upto Master’s degree vide order dated 25.07.2025.

(ii) Having the requisite infrastructural and instructional facilities as per Regulation 6 of the Regulations, the petitioner college submitted an application to the 1^st respondent for conferment of autonomous status from the academic year 2026-27. The 1^st respondent conferred autonomous status to the petitioner college vide order dated 20.02.2026 for a period of five years from 2026-2027 to 2030-2031 as per Clause 7.4 of the Regulations with a direction to the 2^nd respondent to issue necessary notification within 30 days regarding the grant of autonomous status to the petitioner college based on the Regulations. A copy of the order conferring autonomous status to the petitioner college was also communicated to the 2^nd respondent.

(iii) On receipt of the copy of the order dated 20.02.2026, the petitioner college sent a representation dated 21.02.2026 to the 2^nd respondent to notify the conferment of autonomous status as per the orders of the 1^st respondent. However, the 2^nd respondent has not yet issued the relevant notification. Though law on this issue has already been settled, nothing was forthcoming. Hence the writ petition.

4. This Court has carefully considered the submissions of the learned counsel on either side and perused the materials available on record.

5. As rightly contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner, the law on this issue is well settled.

6. This Court, by order dated 28.10.2025 in W.P.No.40800 of 2025 held as follows:

“7. Insofar as the conferment of autonomous status is concerned, is is a power that has been conferred to UGC and this position of law has been confirmed by the Apex Court. Apart from that, this Court in a recent order in W.P.Nos.35, 38 and 39 of 2025 dated 05.02.2025 reiterated the said position. It was further confirmed in appeal in W.A.No.2514 of 2025 etc., batch dated 02.09.2025. It is brought to the notice of this Court that the order dated 02.09.2025 of Hon'ble Division Bench has been further confirmed by Hon'ble Apex Court by dismissing SLP that was filed by the second respondent on 15.10.2025. In the light of the above, the second respondent University have to necessarily notify the autonomous status of the petitioner College which has been pending fo