Background: why this RTI was filed
A university that is not functional can still have a name, a website and, in some cases, people willing to issue paper in that name. That is why the functional status of an institution is worth establishing from the regulator rather than from the institution.
This RTI asked the UGC about Sangai International University in Manipur. The answer is a single paragraph, and it carries three separate pieces of information: a state committee's finding, a regulatory notice, and an open file.
| Document | Reply under the Right to Information Act, 2005 |
| Reference | F.No.1-200/2024(RIA)/R/(CPP-I/PU) |
| Dated | April 2024 |
| Authority | University Grants Commission, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002 |
| Issued by | (R.I. S. Bhardwaj), Under Secretary & PIO |
| Application | R.T.I dated 05.03.2024, recorded as received in this office on 15.03.2023 — the two years are inconsistent in the original and are reproduced here as printed |
| Institution | Sangai International University, Manipur |
What the document says
The UGC's answer begins with the state's own finding. As per the report of the District Level Committee of the Government of Manipur, the University is not functional.
It then records the regulatory response. The UGC has issued a show cause notice to the university, and has also sought comments from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Manipur, regarding the status of the University.
Finally it records where the matter stood in April 2024: the response or clarification was still awaited. The reply states that a copy of the show cause notice dated 19.12.2023 is attached for ready reference.
One detail on the face of the letter deserves noting. The reply refers to an RTI dated 05.03.2024 received on 15.03.2023 — a date that precedes the application it acknowledges. The inconsistency is in the original document and is reproduced here as printed.
Key findings
Reported not functional
The UGC relays the finding of a District Level Committee of the Government of Manipur that the University is not functional.
Show cause notice issued
The UGC states it has issued a show cause notice to the university, a copy of which — dated 19.12.2023 — is recorded as enclosed with the reply.
State comments sought
The UGC states it has also sought comments from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Manipur, on the status of the University.
No response at the date of reply
As at April 2024 the reply records that the response or clarification was still awaited.
A date inconsistency on the face of the reply
The reply refers to an RTI dated 05.03.2024 as received on 15.03.2023. The two years cannot both be right; both are reproduced here as printed rather than silently corrected.
“As per the report of the District Level Committee of the Government of Manipur, the University is not functional.”
— UGC, F.No.1-200/2024(RIA)/R/(CPP-I/PU), April 2024
What employers and students should know
A finding that a university is not functional is not the same as a finding that it never existed, and it is not by itself a finding about any individual certificate. What it does mean is that the ordinary assumption behind a degree — that there is an institution teaching, examining and keeping records — cannot be taken for granted here.
For anyone holding or assessing a credential in this name, the practical consequence is that verification through the university may not be available in the normal way. The show cause notice and the state's comments were, at the date of this reply, an open file rather than a concluded one.
- Note the date. This reply describes the position in April 2024; the file was open, and the position may have moved since.
- Ask the Department of Higher Education, Government of Manipur, for the current status of the university.
- Ask the UGC for the outcome of the show cause notice dated 19.12.2023 through a fresh RTI if the current position matters to a decision.
- Do not treat a centre's or agent's confirmation as verification where the university itself is reported not functional.
- Keep the reply reference — F.No.1-200/2024(RIA)/R/(CPP-I/PU) — on file.
What this record shows:
- The UGC states that, per the District Level Committee of the Government of Manipur, Sangai International University is not functional.
- The UGC states it has issued a show cause notice to the university and enclosed a copy dated 19.12.2023.
- The UGC states it has sought comments from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Manipur.
- The UGC states that as at the date of the reply the response or clarification was still awaited.
What it does not show:
- It does not set out the contents of the show cause notice, which is not reproduced on this page.
- It does not record any final decision, penalty or withdrawal of status.
- It does not state anything about any individual degree, student or certificate.
- It does not describe the position after April 2024.
Every statement on this page is drawn from the official document described above. Readers should rely on the original document and the issuing authority for any decision.