The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a fine of ₹4 lakh on an association of colleges recognized by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) for filing a “frivolous” petition against routine inspections conducted by the affiliating university. The Court dismissed the plea, stating that recognition by NCTE does not exempt colleges from university inspections.
A bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel made it clear that the concepts of “recognition” and “affiliation” are distinct. The association had argued that once a college is recognized by NCTE, the university has no role in the affiliation process. The Court, however, rejected this claim, citing Supreme Court judgments that establish the university’s authority to conduct inspections.
The judges criticized the petition as a waste of judicial time, saying, “Frivolous and vexatious litigation must be discouraged as it diverts the Court’s attention from more pressing matters.” The Court noted that the colleges were mistaken in assuming that NCTE recognition automatically grants university affiliation without further scrutiny. Referring to Maharshi Dayanand University’s statutes, the Court clarified that the prescribed inspection frequency of “once in three years” is flexible and can be adjusted based on circumstances.
