In a stern ruling, the Punjab-Haryana High Court has imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) for granting conditional recognition to a B.Ed college, flouting a Supreme Court stay order. The court also mandated the recovery of the fine from the officer responsible for this oversight.
The issue came to light following the conditional recognition granted to the B.Ed college, which was challenged in the High Court. Despite the Supreme Court’s explicit stay, the NCTE moved ahead with the recognition, leading to significant judicial scrutiny.
The High Court’s verdict also included a Rs 10 lakh fine levied against the college itself for failing to rectify its discrepancies. Both the NCTE and the college have been directed to deposit their respective fines into the PGI Poor Patient Fund.
The court criticized NCTE for its unequivocal support to the college, allowing student admissions under a temporary court order without seeking to overturn it or reporting existing discrepancies. “We do not want the future of the students to be compromised,” the court stated, subsequently ordering the issuance of degrees to students admitted during the interim period of 2022.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that numerous colleges in Punjab and Haryana operate under similar conditional recognitions, deemed illegal by the High Court. The court has suggested that NCTE’s lax oversight has led to widespread irregularities in the teacher education sector, recommending criminal proceedings against the council.
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NCTE’s Regional Director, Mukesh Kumar, who was present in the court, committed to establishing a committee to inspect these colleges. This committee will enforce the Supreme Court’s guidelines and coordinate with state governments to resolve recognition issues promptly.
