The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Friday declared 21 universities as "fake" and not empowered to confer any degree, majority of which are in Delhi followed by Uttar Pradesh.
The commission warned students against taking admission in these universities.
"At least 21 self-styled, unrecognised institutions which are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act, have been declared as fake universities and these are not empowered to confer any degree," UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said.
Delhi has eight fake universities -- All India Institute of Public and Physical Health Sciences; Commercial University Ltd. Daryaganj; United Nations University; Vocational University; ADR-Centric Juridical University; Indian Institution of Science and Engineering; Viswakarma Open University for Self-Employment and Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University).
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Uttar Pradesh has seven such universities -- Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (open university), Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, according to the UGC.
Among other universities on the list are Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society (Karnataka), St John's University (Kerala), Raja Arbaic Univerity (Nagpur), Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine and Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research (Kolkata), Nababharat Shiksha Parishad and North Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (Odisha), Shree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education (Puducherry) and Christ New Testament Deemed University (Andhra Pradesh).