JUDGMENT:

2. The appellant University is aggrieved by the order dated 09.12.2025 passed by the learned writ Court in Writ Petition No.29848 of 2025 whereby it has been directed to issue notification permitting the writ petitioner college to function as an autonomous college and grant the privileges of autonomy from the academic year 2025-26 onwards. The learned writ Court took into consideration Regulations 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of University Grants Commission (Conferment of Autonomous Status upon Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards of Autonomous Colleges) Regulations, 2023 (for short ‘UGC Regulations, 2023’), and similar instances reflected in the judgments cited therein.

3. During pendency of this Writ Appeal, vide order dated 13.03.2026, the appellant University has granted autonomous status to the writ petitioner college from the academic year 2026-27 to 2028-30 subject to ratification by the Standing Committee of the Academic Senate and Executive Council with direction upon the writ petitioner college to follow the autonomous guidelines issued from time to time as per the norms of the appellant University. For the academic year 2025-26, the appellant University has taken a plea that the writ petitioner college approached the University Grants Commission (UGC) without first intimation or application to the appellant University in violation of the procedure and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad Regulations for the Grant of Affiliation to the Colleges/Institutes, 2020. A plea was also taken in the grounds of appeal that the fee was not deposited by the writ petitioner college. However, it appears that the fee was deposited on 06.06.2025.

4. Under Regulation 4.1 of UGC Regulations, 2023, the role of the University is to examine the application of the college for autonomous status on UGC portal and give its recommendations along with reasons/justification, within thirty (30) working days on UGC Portal. If it does not respond on UGC Portal within such working days, it shall be presumed that the appellant University has no objection to the processing of the application by UGC for conferment of autonomous status. The University has to issue notification within thirty (30) days for a college to function as an autonomous entity once the autonomous status is conferred on the College by UGC, as per Regulation 4.2 of UGC Regulations, 2023. UGC Regulations, 2023, do not require the writ petitioner college to first make an application for conferment of autonomous status before approaching UGC for such approval. The plea of the appellant University on that count is therefore not tenable.

5. The learned writ Court has taken into consideration that the application for conferment of autonomous status was made to UGC by the writ petitioner college on 24.07.2024 much before the commencement of the academic year 2025-26. The correspondence between UGC and the appellant University also shows that the appellant University had objection to the conferment of autonomous status on the writ petitioner college only for the academic year 2024-25. The learned writ Court therefore did not find any justification on the part of the appellant University in denying the conferment of autonomous status on the writ petitioner college. If it had failed to take any objection on the writ petitioner’s application on UGC Portal within the time prescribed, the same would amount to deemed consent.

6. In the aforesaid facts and circumstances, we are of the considered view that the order under appeal does not suffer from any infirmity calling for interference in this Writ Appeal.

The instant Writ Appeal is accordingly dismissed. There shall be no order as to costs.

Miscellaneous applications, if any pending, shall stand closed.