10-05-2025
HC dismisses plea against publishing NIRF rankings
Madurai:
Madras high court
dismissed a plea seeking a direction to the
National Board of Accreditation
(NBA) to publish the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings only after comparing and verifying the data submitted by the institutions with the data in govt records and disclosing the calculation court was hearing a
public interest litigation
filed by C Chellamuthu.
The petitioner stated that in all the ranking parameters, the data provided by the institutions that got NIRF ranking was manipulated and completely false. There is no transparency or accountability of the data submitted by the institutions. Instead of collecting data from the available official govt records, institutions were invited to submit the data online. Rankings are published based on the data without verification.
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This could negatively impact the quality of education in India. Hence, the petitioner moved the court granted an interim stay restraining the Union ministry of education and the NBA from publishing the NIRF ranking for 2025. The court also directed the authorities to file a counter. The Centre submitted there is a separate scientific method that is being followed and that the method is prescribed by an expert body.A division bench of justice J Nisha Banu and justice S Srimathy observed that from the materials available on record, it is seen that the petition is premature. There is no data before the court to compare and determine the correctness of the rankings. Therefore, the court is not inclined to entertain the petition. If the petitioner is aggrieved after the publication of the list, he may challenge the same along with evidence in the manner known to law, if so advised, the judges observed and dismissed the petition.
