The university at the centre of the Delhi blast is now facing the heat of investigating agencies. On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other financial agencies were tasked with carrying out a detailed forensic and financial audit of the University’s books and accounts.
The decision was taken after a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the progress of the ongoing investigation into the blast, which killed 13 people. “An order has been issued to carry out a forensic audit of all records of Al-Falah University. The ED and other financial agencies were also asked by the Government to check the money trail of Al-Falah University,” a source said.
Meanwhile, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has now issued a show-cause notice to the Al-Falah University for displaying false certification on its website and the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has suspended the membership of the university.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), it is learnt, has requested the university submit all records dating back to 2019, including employment, payment, hostel details and source of funds and donations.
In its show-cause notice, the NAAC said it has noted that the university, “which is neither accredited nor applied for accreditation by NAAC”, has publicly displayed on its website that some of its colleges are NAAC-certified. “This is absolutely wrong and misleading the public, especially the parents, students and stakeholders,” the NAAC notice said.
The accreditation body has sought an explanation from the university and directed it to remove the portions on its website and other publicly available documents that claim NAAC certification.
The accreditation for Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology expired in 2018, while that of Al-Falah School of Education and Training expired in 2016, the notice said. The NAAC is an autonomous Government body that evaluates and certifies the quality of higher education institutions like colleges and universities.
“The accreditation status of both colleges has expired. Both colleges have not yet volunteered for the fresh Assessment and Accreditation process of the NAAC,” the notice said. According to its website, Al-Falah University was established by the Haryana Legislative Assembly under the Haryana Private Universities Act.
It started as an engineering college in 1997. In 2013, the Al-Falah Engineering College received A-category NAAC accreditation. In 2014, the Haryana Government granted it university status. The Al-Falah Medical College is also affiliated with the university.
