Background: why this RTI was filed
Behind almost every degree-verification failure is the same discovery: nobody outside the institution holds the records. That is worth establishing on paper rather than assuming, because it determines where a verification can and cannot be run.
This RTI asked the Government of Arunachal Pradesh five questions about North East Frontier Technical University — how many degrees it has issued, by what process, what the state monitors, what it has done about allegations of backdated degrees, and whether it has acted on its own motion. The Directorate of Higher & Technical Education answered all five.
| Document | Reply under the Right to Information Act, 2005 |
| Reference | No. HTE/2/2024 |
| Dated | 21st May 2024 |
| Authority | Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Directorate of Higher & Technical Education, Itanagar |
| Issued by | Sanjay Bengia, PIO, For Director Higher & Technical Education, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar |
| Application | RTI application No. nil, dated 20/04/2024 |
| Institution | North East Frontier Technical University (NEFTU), Sibu-Puyi, Aalo (PO), West Siang (Distt.), Arunachal Pradesh – 791001 |
What the document says
On the number of degrees, the answer is that the Directorate is not the custodian. It has no records of the degrees issued by any private university operating in the state, and the factual data is with NEFTU only; information may be sought from the NEFTU authorities.
On process and criteria, the Directorate answers from the records it does hold, and attaches them. Per Annexure-1 — UGC letter No F 8-22/2014 (CPP-I/PU) of October 2015 — the UGC's mandatory permission is to award degrees specified under section 22 of the UGC Act through the main campus by regular mode only. Per Annexure-2, the State Government circulated office memorandum No. ED/HE-83/2012 on 28 April 2015 prohibiting private universities from opening off-campus or study centres outside the territorial jurisdiction of Arunachal Pradesh. The 2015 memorandum goes further than a prohibition: it directs that where a university has already started an off-campus study centre in violation of the Supreme Court's order, or is operating through franchise in the state, the same is to be closed immediately.
On monitoring, the Directorate states that because NEFTU is a private university and an autonomous institution, no monitoring records are maintained regarding the issuance of degrees.
On the allegations, the Directorate sets out the general obligation — all universities, public and private, must comply mandatorily with UGC rules, central regulators and state instructions — and then records its own position: as of the date of reply, no complaint regarding the selling of backdated degrees by NEFTU had been received by the Directorate.
On suo motu action of the kind taken elsewhere by the Himachal Pradesh commission, the Directorate answers by pointing to jurisdiction: the Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission is operational, and all matters relating to private educational institutions fall under its functional jurisdiction.
The file also contains the referral that preceded it. In December 2023 the UGC forwarded a representation to the Secretary of the Directorate, asking the State to look into the matter and take appropriate action, with a copy to NEFTU's Registrar requesting immediate comments to the UGC. Three separate Form 'B' notices — March, May and July 2024 — record RTI applications being forwarded from the Directorate to the Vice-Chancellor of NEFTU as outside the competent authority's jurisdiction.
Key findings
The state holds no record of any degree issued
The Directorate states it is not the custodian of degrees issued by NEFTU and has no records of degrees issued by any private university operating in the state.
No monitoring records are kept
Because NEFTU is a private and autonomous institution, the Directorate states it maintains no monitoring records regarding the issuance of degrees.
UGC permission is for the main campus, regular mode only
Per the records available with the Directorate, the UGC's mandatory permission is to award section 22 degrees through the main campus by regular mode only, with approval of regulatory bodies where required (Annexure-1).
A 2015 state memorandum prohibits outside centres
Office memorandum No. ED/HE-83/2012 dated 28 April 2015 prohibits private universities from opening off-campus or study centres outside the territorial jurisdiction of Arunachal Pradesh (Annexure-2).
No complaint about backdated degrees on the Directorate's file
The Directorate states that as of the date of reply it had received no complaint regarding the selling of backdated degrees by NEFTU.
Jurisdiction sits with APPEIRC
On suo motu action, the Directorate states that all matters relating to private educational institutions are under the functional jurisdiction of the Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission.
“The Directorate has no records of the Degrees issued by any Private Universities operating in the State.”
— Directorate of Higher & Technical Education, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, No. HTE/2/2024, 21 May 2024
What employers and students should know
The single most useful sentence here is the one about custodianship. If you are verifying a NEFTU credential, the state cannot confirm or deny it, and a letter to the Directorate will be forwarded to the university rather than answered. The verification has to be run against the university's own records.
The second is about place. Both the UGC letter of 2015 and the state memorandum of the same year point the same way: degrees through the main campus in regular mode, and no off-campus or study centre outside the state — with existing ones to be closed. A qualification taught elsewhere sits outside that framework.
The third is about what a 'no complaint' answer means. It records the contents of one office's file on one date. It is not a finding that nothing happened, and it is not a clearance. The same reply says the office does no monitoring, so an absence of complaints is exactly what an unmonitored file would show.
And if you want regulatory action considered, the reply names the body: APPEIRC holds the functional jurisdiction over private educational institutions in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Send verification requests to NEFTU directly, quoting the enrolment number — the state confirms it holds no degree records.
- Ask which campus the programme was taught at; the UGC permission on the state's file is for the main campus in regular mode only.
- Where a centre outside Arunachal Pradesh is involved, note the state memorandum of 28 April 2015 prohibiting such centres and directing closure of existing ones.
- Address complaints or requests for regulatory action to APPEIRC, which the reply identifies as holding functional jurisdiction.
- Do not read 'no complaint received' as a clearance — the same reply states that no monitoring is carried out.
- Keep the reply reference — No. HTE/2/2024 dated 21 May 2024 — together with Annexures 1 and 2.
What this record shows:
- The Directorate states it is not the custodian of degrees issued by NEFTU and holds no records of degrees issued by any private university in the state.
- The Directorate states it maintains no monitoring records regarding degree issuance by NEFTU.
- Per the records on its file, UGC permission is to award section 22 degrees through the main campus by regular mode only.
- A state office memorandum of 28 April 2015 prohibits private universities from opening off-campus or study centres outside Arunachal Pradesh.
- The Directorate states it had received no complaint regarding the selling of backdated degrees by NEFTU as at 21 May 2024.
- APPEIRC holds functional jurisdiction over private educational institutions in the state.
What it does not show:
- It does not state how many degrees NEFTU has issued — the Directorate does not hold that information.
- It does not establish or refute any allegation about backdated degrees; it records only that no complaint had reached this office.
- It does not state that any particular degree or certificate is genuine or forged.
- It records no finding, penalty or action against the university by any authority.
- It does not describe the position after the dates on the documents referred to.
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.