After Al-Falah terror case, Haryana amends private universities law

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The Haryana government has amended the Haryana Private Universities Act, 2006, strengthening its authority to oversee and regulate private higher education institutions. The changes come in the wake of the controversy involving Al Falah University and seek to address loopholes in the earlier law that led to inadequate monitoring and weak enforcement, News18 reported.

As per the report, the revised Act now clearly defines the grounds and procedures for action against private universities found guilty of mismanagement, furnishing false or misleading information, or failing to comply with academic and regulatory standards.

Possible penalties include suspending admissions in specific departments, imposing fines between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore, appointing an administrator to run the institution, and, in severe cases, dissolving the university in a phased manner.

The amendment was passed by the state assembly on Monday after authorities uncovered a white-coat terror module allegedly linked to Al Falah University in Faridabad.

An assistant professor from the university was identified as the suicide bomber in the November 10 car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least 15 people and left over 20 injured, while two other faculty members were arrested in connection with the case.

Separately, the founder and chairman of the Al Falah Group was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

The new provisions will apply to 26 private universities in Haryana, including Al Falah University, The NorthCap University, Amity University and Apeejay Satya University.

The state government said Al Falah had taken advantage of loopholes in the earlier law. Established in 2013, the university has not secured accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, and earlier accreditations of its colleges were not renewed after they lapsed.

Officials admitted that while the previous law required private universities to submit annual reports and financial disclosures, compliance checks were weak and there was no clear mechanism to investigate violations or enforce penalties.

Alongside tightening regulation, the government has also proposed setting up a new University of Design, Innovation and Technology in Gurgaon to promote credible and future-focused higher education in the state.