Supreme Court rules inclusion of deemed universities under Anti-corruption law
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Education
In News:
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has held that bribery and corruption in a deemed university can be tried under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Key takeaways:
The judgement was given by a three-judge Bench led by Justice N.V. Ramana.
As per the judgement,
Individuals, authorities or officials connected to a deemed university, irrespective of their role or designation, come under the definition of a ‘public servant’.
Deemed universities come within the ambit of the term ‘university’ in Section 2 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
A deemed institution, under the University Grants Commission Act of 1956, has the same common public duty like a university to confer academic degrees, which are recognised in the society.
Important value additions:
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
It is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to combat corruption in government agencies and public sector businesses in India.
In 2018, Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill was passed under which punish bribe-givers and bribe-takers shall be punished.
The Bill provides for jail terms of three to seven years, besides fine, to those convicted of taking or giving bribes to public officials.
Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 29th April 2020
Deemed university, or deemed-to-be-university, is an accreditation awarded to higher educational institutions in India, conferring the status of a university.
It is granted by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Institutions that are ‘deemed-to-be-university’ enjoy the academic status and privileges of a university.
