Rajasthan winds up OPJS University and orders probes into 10 more private universities
The state dissolved the Churu-based OPJS University in January 2026 over backdated and excess degrees, and the higher education minister has told the Assembly that 10 other private universities are under investigation.
Rajasthan has taken its strongest action yet against private universities accused of issuing fake and backdated degrees. It has wound up one university and ordered investigations into ten more.
OPJS University dissolved
On 7 January 2026 the state's Higher Education Department ordered OPJS University in Churu wound up, and appointed the Divisional Commissioner of Bikaner as administrator under the OPJS University Act, 2013, Khas Khabar reported. Free Press Journal reported the same order.
According to Khas Khabar, the order cited a Special Operations Group (SOG) investigation. The SOG found records of about 43,000 degrees, while bank records showed only 28 staff, including peons and clerks, for 173 courses. The order also cited degrees in unrecognised courses, backdated certificates, more degrees than authorised seats, and PhD rules broken under UGC regulations. The UGC had already barred the university from enrolling PhD scholars, and the state had stopped its admissions for 2024-25, Careers360 reported in January 2025.
The case first came to wide attention through the 2022 recruitment exam for physical training instructors. ThePrint reported in 2024 that more than 1,300 candidates in that exam held OPJS degrees, although the university was accredited for only 100 seats in the course.
Ten more universities under investigation
In February 2026, Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Prem Chand Bairwa told the Assembly that investigations had been ordered into 10 of the state's 53 private universities after complaints, Udaipur Kiran and Free Press Journal reported. Free Press Journal listed them as OPJS, Singhania, Sunrise, Shridhar, Mewar, Madhav, Raffles, Nirwan, the University of Technology and JJT University. Being under investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Free Press Journal reported that the SOG had received complaints about officials at OPJS, Sunrise, Singhania, JJT and Mewar universities over backdated mark sheets and degrees, and that 16 officials and brokers linked to OPJS and Mewar universities had been arrested. The minister said a regulatory commission for private higher education is being drafted.
What recruiters should do
Rajasthan's recruitment bodies already check degrees during document verification. Any employer receiving a degree from a university under investigation should confirm enrolment dates, examination records and whether the course was approved for that year, not just whether the certificate looks genuine.
This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.
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