UP govt’s new law for private universities – No “anti-national activities” on campus

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday cleared the draft of a new Ordinance which includes a provision under which new and existing universities have to take an undertaking that they will neither allow nor be involved in “anti-national activities” on campus.

27 private universities in Uttar Pradesh have been aimed to bring under an umbrella law through the draft “Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Ordinance, 2019.”

A period of one year will also be given to existing universities to adopt to all the provisions of the proposed law and if, any university is found violating the provision on “anti-national activities,” it will face action.

Also read: Job crisis worsens in Uttar Pradesh

“Rashtriya ekikaran, dharma nirpekshata, samajik samrasta, antarashtriya sadbhav, naitika smekan evam desh bhakti ke samvardhan ke prayas ke udesh bhi sammalit kiye gaye hain (national integration, secularism, social harmony, international goodwill, ethics, as well as attempts to inculcate patriotism have also been included),” have been stated as some of the objectives for the universities.

“Among the requirements, which are required to be fulfilled by the establishing institution, a provision has been made to give an undertaking that their university will not be involved in any anti-national activities and neither will they allow such activity inside their campus or in their name,” it added.

The 27 universities that are aimed to be brought under the umbrella law have not been named by the UP government yet, but UGC listed 29 private universities in the state as on November 2018, including Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, Sharda University, Amity University, Galgotias University, Shiv Nadar University, Manglayatan University and Babu Banarasi Das University.