The future of over 6,000 students hangs in the balance as Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak, Haryana, faces severe action from national education bodies for allegedly using a fake NAAC accreditation grade. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has issued a stern warning to the university for continuing to claim an 'A+ Grade' status that has reportedly lapsed, while the University Grants Commission (UGC) has declared MDU ineligible to offer crucial distance learning programs.
NAAC's Stern Warning and MDU's Defiant Stance
The NAAC Director sent a critical email on the evening of November 17 to Vice-Chancellor Dr. Rajbir Lohan, Registrar Dr. KK Gupta, and Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) Dr. Narshiman B. The council accused MDU of "clearly violating NAAC rules and misleading the public, especially parents, students, and stakeholders" by falsely claiming an active accreditation.
The email explicitly demanded the immediate removal of all NAAC accreditation details from the university's website and public documents. Failure to comply, NAAC warned, would lead to appropriate action and a recommendation to statutory regulatory authorities. Sources indicate that MDU's A+ accreditation officially lapsed on March 27, 2024. The university was required to initiate a renewal process six months prior, involving submission of key documents and a NAAC team inspection, which it allegedly failed to do.
Despite this, MDU authorities maintain they possess a valid approval. When contacted, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Lohan did not respond. Director of IQAC, Dr. Narshiman, redirected queries to Prof. Ashish Dahiya from the Public Relations Office. Prof. Dahiya asserted, "MDU has Distance Education Bureau’s approval for five years and it is still valid. If the approval is valid, then only admission portals open." On the specific issue of using the NAAC grade against warnings, he stated he would "get back" after receiving information from concerned authorities.
UGC's Blow: MDU Deemed Ineligible for Key Programs
Compounding the crisis, the UGC's Distance Education Bureau, in a communication dated November 18, informed MDU that it is "not eligible" to apply for offering Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or online programs for the academic year 2025-26. This decision is based on the UGC (ODL and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020.
The UGC cited two primary reasons. First, it pointed out a discrepancy in MDU's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking, which falls under the 'State Public University' category, whereas the regulations require a ranking under the broader 'University' category for eligibility. Second, the UGC reiterated the mandatory conditions: for ODL courses, an institution must either be NAAC-accredited with a minimum score of 3.01 or be in the top 100 in the NIRF University category. For online courses, an additional requirement of being in existence for at least three years applies.
Severe Consequences for Students and University
The dual warnings from NAAC and UGC have created immense uncertainty for the thousands of students enrolled in MDU's online and ODL courses for the 2025-26 session. Experts privy to the developments warn of a cascade of severe repercussions.
The potential consequences for MDU include:
- A complete ban on new admissions to online and ODL programs.
- Loss of eligibility for UGC, AICTE, and central government grants and research projects.
- A significant drop in NIRF ranking and national reputation.
- Legal and reputational crises, along with the risk of penalties.
- Severe damage to student placements and employability.
- Difficulty in attracting top-tier students and faculty.
- Constraints on international collaborations and global ranking prospects.
The situation has drawn sharp political criticism. Haryana's former deputy chief minister and JJP leader, Dushyant Chautala, called it an "extremely serious matter" that students were kept in the dark. He alleged negligence by the university administration in failing to conduct the required inspection for NAAC renewal and called for strict action against the Vice-Chancellor and responsible officials. Chautala went further, claiming the VC deliberately avoided inspection to hide a potential decline in ratings and pointed to an ongoing police investigation into the VC's own educational degrees.
As the standoff continues, the immediate academic and professional futures of more than 6,000 students remain precarious, dependent on MDU's compliance with national education regulators and the validity of its claimed accreditations.
