Mumbai University denies permission to set up women’s college in Raigad

Social Society Morba institution has been denied affiliation by the Mumbai University on the grounds of not having proper infrastructural facilities. The minority institution in Raigad recently won a landmark case in the Bombay High Court for setting up private institutions without any grant from the state.

The society, which wants to start a science college for women, had earlier moved the high court as the University had denied them affiliation for the last two years. The high court ruled that private institutions seeking no grant from the state to start a college shall not need an approval of the state, but the Mumbai University can grant them affiliation after going through the necessary procedures.

Accordingly, the Mumbai University set up a local inspection committee which visited the proposed college on June 8. The three member committee pointed out various infrastructural flaws in the college and as per their report dated June 15, 2006, plea to start a college was rejected.

The society has again moved the high court challenging the universities’ decision to not grant affiliation to their college for the academic year 2011-2012. The petition states that the Universities decision is unfair and arbitrary. They also want the high court to direct the university to grant them affiliation and allow them to start the women college from this academic year.

However, advocate Rui Rodriguez appearing for the university filed an affidavit stating that as per the inspection committee report “infrastructural deficiencies would not lead to proper educational standards.”

The public trust had submitted a proposal for starting the college on permanent no-grant-in-aid basis in October 2007. Mumbai University had approved the proposal in January 2008, and forwarded it to state government.

In November 2010, a section officer from Higher and Technical Education Department informed the trust that its proposal could not be considered in view of the state government’s policy not to grant permission to any new Arts, Science and Commerce college in academic year 2010-11.

The trust then moved the court challenging the procedures insisted by the university and the state of submitting the proposal for prior approval even if it involved no financial implications for the state.