ED likely to conduct forensic audit of Al Falah University's record

Al Falah University in Faridabad’s Dhauj village, in spotlight following the deadly terror strike near Delhi’s Red Fort, has now come under the scanner of multiple central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Official sources said the government had ordered a forensic audit of the university’s records, likely to be carried out by the ED. The university has also been served a show-cause notice by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for allegedly displaying false accreditation claims on its website. Following the NAAC notice, the university’s website has been taken down.

The developments follow a high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah, which reviewed the ongoing investigation into the November 10 blast that left 13 persons dead and several others injured.

The NAAC notice pointed out that the university had falsely claimed that two of its institutes—Al Falah School of Engineering and Technology, and Al Falah School of Education and Training—had received an ‘A’ grade from the accreditation council. The accreditation, however, had long expired, making the claim “misleading”.

Records show that Al Falah School of Engineering and Technology, Fatehpur, was accredited from March 23, 2013, to March 22, 2018, while the Department of Teacher Education at Al Falah School of Education and Training saw its accreditation lapse in March 2016. Both institutions did not volunteer for the Cycle-2 Assessment and Accreditation (A&A) process.

“It has been brought to the notice of the NAAC that Al Falah University, which neither accredited nor volunteered for Cycle-1 A&A, has publicly displayed on its website that its constituent colleges were ‘Graded A by NAAC’,” the notice stated.

The NAAC has asked the university to explain why legal action should not be initiated and it be disqualified for future consideration for accreditation. The notice also questioned why the NAAC should not recommend to the UGC and the National Medical Commission (NMC) to withdraw recognition of the university and its NMC-approved programmes.

The council has directed the university to remove all references to the NAAC accreditation from its website and respond within seven days. The university is under intense scrutiny after three of its staff members—Dr Umer un-Nabi, Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Saeed—were linked to the car blast outside the Red Fort. As per the NAAC guidelines, once accreditation lapses, an institution cannot use the accreditation status in any public communication.

Meanwhile, officials from the NMC, which regulates medical colleges, said further action would depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigation. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Al Falah University said it was extending full cooperation to investigating agencies to ensure a “logical, fair and conclusive determination” in the matter concerning national security.

Meanwhile, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has suspended the university’s membership. The AIU informed the university about the decision through an official letter. The association has asked the university to remove the AIU logo. “It is intimated that, as per the bylaws of the AIU, all universities shall be treated as members as long as they remain in good standing. However, as per media reports, it has come to notice that Al Falah University, Faridabad, does not appear to be in good standing. Accordingly, the membership of AIU accorded to Al Falah University stands suspended with immediate effect,” the AIU said in a statement.