Background: why this RTI was filed
Chhattisgarh is where the question of private universities and their off-campus centres was settled, in Prof. Yashpal vs. State of Chhattisgarh. The judgment is cited by name in this reply, which makes it an unusually direct statement of where a Chhattisgarh private university may and may not teach.
This RTI put seven questions to the UGC about Kalinga University, Raipur. The Commission answered all seven in one block.
| Document | Reply under the Right to Information Act, 2005 |
| Reference | No. F. 1-309/2024(RIA)(CPP-I/PU) |
| Dated | May 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 | RTI dated 22.04.2024 |
| Institution | Kalinga University, Raipur – 492101, Chhattisgarh |
What the document says
The UGC confirms the establishment: Kalinga University, Raipur-492101, Chhattisgarh, established or notified on 24.03.2011 by an Act of the State Legislature of Chhattisgarh as a private university, empowered to award degrees through its main campus in regular mode with the approval of regulatory or statutory councils wherever required.
On centres, the reply is explicit and doubled. The university is not authorised to open a study centre or off-campus centre beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the state, as per the Supreme Court's judgment in Prof. Yashpal vs. State of Chhattisgarh. It cannot open centres even within the state without UGC approval under the 2003 private universities regulations. And the UGC has not granted any approval to the University to open an off campus or study centre.
Franchising is addressed separately: the university cannot offer its programmes through a franchising arrangement with private coaching institutions, even for conducting courses through distance mode.
On verification, the UGC places the responsibility where the records are. Degrees, diplomas and certificates are verified by the issuing authority only. On distance education the Commission transferred the application to its Distance Education Bureau with a request to supply the information.
Key findings
No UGC approval for any off-campus or study centre
The reply states that the UGC has not granted any approval to the University to open an off campus or study centre.
Degrees from the main campus, in regular mode
The university is described as empowered to award degrees through its main campus in regular mode, with the approval of regulatory or statutory councils where required.
Franchising with coaching institutions is excluded
The University cannot offer its programmes through a franchising arrangement with private coaching institutions, even for conducting courses through distance mode.
Established by state Act on 24.03.2011
The UGC confirms establishment or notification by an Act of the Chhattisgarh State Legislature as a private university.
Verification rests with the university
Degrees, diplomas and certificates are verified by the issuing authority only, which holds the records of students admitted and passed.
Distance education transferred to the DEB
The application was transferred to the Distance Education Bureau of the UGC with a request to supply the information sought.
“The UGC has not granted any approval to the University to open off campus/study centre.”
— UGC, No. F. 1-309/2024(RIA)(CPP-I/PU), May 2024
What employers and students should know
The distinction that matters here is between a university existing and a location being approved. The UGC's answer affirms the first and denies the second. A certificate issued in this university's name from somewhere other than its Raipur campus does not become approved because the university is real.
For verification, one route is named in the reply itself: the issuing university, which holds the admission and pass records. That is the check to run, quoting the enrolment number, rather than accepting confirmation from a centre or an agent.
- Establish where the programme was taught and get the answer in writing.
- Write to Kalinga University's registrar quoting the enrolment number, and ask whether the student appears in its records.
- Treat any franchise or coaching-institution arrangement as outside what this reply permits.
- For distance-mode claims, approach the Distance Education Bureau of the UGC directly.
- Keep the reply reference — No. F. 1-309/2024(RIA)(CPP-I/PU) — with any file you build.
What this record shows:
- The UGC states Kalinga University was established/notified on 24.03.2011 by an Act of the Chhattisgarh State Legislature.
- The UGC states it has granted the university no approval for any off campus or study centre.
- The UGC states the university cannot offer programmes through franchising with private coaching institutions.
- The UGC states degree verification is the responsibility of the issuing university.
What it does not show:
- It does not name or confirm the existence of any particular centre.
- It does not state that any particular degree or certificate is genuine or forged.
- It does not record any finding, penalty or action against the university.
- It does not answer the distance-education questions, which were transferred to the DEB.
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.