Overview of Sabarmati University (Formerly Calorx Teachers’ University) according to Grok

Sabarmati University, established in 2009 as Calorx Teachers’ University by the Kalorex Foundation, is a private institution in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, focused initially on teacher training but later expanding to various programs including PhDs and MPhils. It was renamed Sabarmati University in 2019 for better public recognition. The university is owned and operated by the Kalorex Foundation, with Manjula Pooja Shroff serving as Managing Director (MD) and CEO. Shroff is also the founder of Delhi Public School (DPS) East in Ahmedabad, which is part of the Kalorex Group. The institution has faced multiple controversies, primarily centered on educational fraud, irregularities in degree awarding, financial discrepancies, and document forgery linked to its management. Below is a comprehensive summary of all reported news and incidents related to the owners, trustees, or management, including violations, fraud allegations, and legal actions. These stem from government inquiries, media reports, and public complaints up to the current date (October 30, 2025). No major new developments were reported after 2021, but online discussions (e.g., videos and forums) suggest ongoing concerns about fake degrees being sold via agents.

Key Controversies and News Reports

1. PhD and MPhil Degree Irregularities and “Sale” of Degrees (2019–2021)

• Details: The university was accused of awarding over 1,500 invalid PhD degrees and 800 MPhil degrees, primarily to out-of-state candidates, in violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) norms. Key issues included:
  
  • Degrees issued in under three years (some in as little as 18 months), breaching UGC’s minimum duration requirement of three to six years.
  • Admission without mandatory entrance exams; records showed candidates “passing” tests they never took.
  • Internal faculty listed as “external” guides/evaluators, compromising objectivity.
  • Pre-registration fee payments followed by degree awards, with allegations of “selling” degrees for profit (e.g., to non-Gujarat residents in fields beyond education, despite limited staff).
  • Fake guides listed in records and dissertations accepted without proper evaluation.
• Owner/Management Link: The Kalorex Foundation (under Shroff) governed the university at the time. Complaints highlighted mismanagement, with the website lacking details on key officials like the provost or registrar. Registrar Shailendra Gupta was sacked in late 2019 after an internal inquiry confirmed irregularities.
• Legal/Government Actions:
  
  • November 2019: Complaints filed with Gujarat Education Department.
  • January 13, 2020: Show-cause notice issued under the Gujarat Private Universities Act; university petitioned Gujarat High Court for more time but failed to respond.
  • January 2020: Three-member inquiry committee (later expanded to four) formed, confirming “gross irregularities” and ordering a third-party financial audit (completed within one month).
  • January 2020: UGC requested a detailed report from the state government.
  • March 17, 2020: Dedicated probe team (chaired by A.S. Rathod) appointed to investigate PhD process.
  • July 27, 2020: Administrator appointed amid the fake degree row; probe revealed degrees issued without exams and based solely on dissertations.
  • March 29, 2021: Government formally appoints administrator, citing financial irregularities and degree sales violations.
• Related News Sources:
  
  • The Indian Express (Jan 16, 2020): Inquiry detects 1,500+ invalid degrees.
  • Times of India (Jan 18, 2020; Mar 17, 2020): Scanner on “doctoring” PhD process; probe team formed.
  • Ahmedabad Mirror (Mar 29, 2021): Administrator appointment details.
  • Education Fraud Check (undated, post-2020): Comprehensive exposé on fraud.
  • YouTube Videos (2022–2024): Reports of Delhi agents selling backdated degrees from the university.

2. FIR and Forgery Case Against MD Manjula Pooja Shroff (2019–2021)

• Details: Shroff, along with Hiten Vasant (management committee member, DPS Bopal) and former principal Anita Dua, was accused of forging documents to secure CBSE affiliation for DPS East (Kalorx-operated school). This included:
  
  • Fake affidavits and No Objection Certificate (NOC) claiming land was owned by the trust and had Non-Agricultural (NA) certification, when it did not.
  • Misrepresentation led to illegal land leasing to Yogini Sarvajnapeetham ashram (linked to self-styled guru Nithyananda, facing confinement cases).
  • 24 ashram children illegally enrolled at DPS East, violating RTE Act and CBSE bylaws (18 without records), raising human trafficking concerns after a parent’s complaint about confined children.
• Owner/Management Link: Direct involvement of Shroff as Kalorex MD; the school is under the same group as the university.
• Legal Actions:
  
  • November 30, 2019: FIR filed at Vivekanandnagar Police Station for forgery, criminal misrepresentation, and fraud.
  • 2019–2020: District Education Officer (DEO) probe; five-member committee reviewed school records (2017–2019).
  • March 29, 2021: Additional FIR against Shroff and others for the same forgery issues.
  • State Education Department urged CBSE to withdraw DPS East’s affiliation.
• Related News Sources:
  
  • Times of India (Nov 30, 2019): FIR over forged NOC.
  • Ahmedabad Mirror (Mar 29, 2021): Details of FIR and ashram links.

3. Other Minor Incidents and Public Complaints

• Fake Degree Sales via Agents: Reports of Delhi-based agents selling backdated or forged degrees from the university (e.g., three-year courses despite UGC’s four-year mandate). No direct police action, but highlighted in exposés.
• Consumer Complaint (2019): A buyer alleged purchasing a fake degree from Calorx Teachers’ University, verified falsely within days; marksheet discrepancies exposed the fraud. (Voxya platform; no resolution reported.)
• Reddit Discussion (Aug 12, 2025): User called it a “scam,” citing a non-existent campus (a waterbody) and poor administration.
• Unrelated Mentions: The university’s name surfaced in a 2023 probe against a BJP MLA for a forged BA degree from Calorx (2012), but no direct link to management fraud.

Summary Table of Key Events

These incidents highlight systemic issues under Kalorex Foundation’s leadership, leading to government intervention. As of October 30, 2025, the university operates under administration, but verification of degrees is advised via UGC portals. For the latest, check official Gujarat Education Department updates.
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