Gujarat BEd College Allegedly Operated for Two Years with Forged NCTE Approval
In a shocking breach of regulatory compliance, a BEd college located in Bhacha village within Una taluka of Gir Somnath district, Gujarat, has been accused of functioning for two full academic years based on a fraudulent letter. This letter falsely claimed renewed recognition from the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the apex body for teacher education in India.
Complaint Filed by University Registrar Exposes Forgery
The scandal came to light after Rameshchandra Parmar, the registrar of Bhakta Kavi Narsinh Mehta University (BKNMU), filed a formal complaint at the Junagadh Taluka police station. The complaint was lodged following a verification process that conclusively determined the NCTE approval letter submitted by the college was entirely counterfeit.
An FIR has been registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code. These include Section 406 for criminal breach of trust, Section 420 for cheating, and several forgery-related sections: 465, 467, 468, and 471. The legal action underscores the severity of the alleged offenses.
College Management and Principal Named in FIR
The complaint specifically names the management of Shrimati Vanitaben Bachubhai Nandola BEd College, which operates under the Shri BM Nandola Charitable Trust. Additionally, the then principal of the college and other individuals allegedly involved in submitting the forged verification document have been implicated.
According to Registrar Parmar, the college's official recognition from the NCTE had been previously revoked. Despite this revocation, the institution submitted a fake letter that bore a forged signature of the NCTE regional director from Delhi. This document was used to secure permission to admit students into its BEd programme.
The forgery was definitively confirmed after BKNMU authorities sent the submitted document directly to the NCTE for official verification. The NCTE's response validated that the letter was not authentic.
Impact on Students and Academic Integrity
Registrar Parmar described the act as a profound "breach of trust" that has severely jeopardized the academic futures of students who enrolled during the two-year period in question. The students' qualifications and degrees may now be under scrutiny due to the college's lack of proper accreditation.
Vice-Chancellor Pratapsinh Chauhan provided further clarification, stating that no students were allocated to the college for the upcoming 2025–26 academic year. He noted that the institution was previously affiliated with Saurashtra University before coming under the jurisdiction of BKNMU.
Chauhan explained that the NCTE recognition was originally cancelled due to the college's failure to maintain required staff profiles as per regulatory standards. However, the university currently has no records detailing how many students successfully passed or graduated during the period when the college operated without valid NCTE accreditation.
"There is no indication that the college itself is bogus or fake, and no admissions were allocated this year," Vice-Chancellor Chauhan stated, emphasizing that the primary issue revolves around the forged document rather than the institution's fundamental legitimacy.
Police Investigation Underway
Police Inspector F B Gaganiya of Junagadh Taluka police station confirmed that authorities are actively investigating the case. The investigation aims to determine the exact number of students who were admitted and who graduated during the two academic years in question.
Furthermore, police are working to identify all individuals responsible for preparing and submitting the forged NCTE approval letter. This includes tracing the origins of the document and holding accountable those who orchestrated the deception.
The case highlights critical vulnerabilities in the oversight of teacher education institutions and raises urgent questions about the mechanisms for verifying accreditation documents to prevent such fraudulent activities in the future.
