On Friday (October 5, 2018) the Delhi High Court issued a notice to Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) on a plea filed the University Grants Commission (UGC) claiming that Arindam Chaudhuri run institute was attempting to advertise itself as a B-school.

The order passed by Justice Siddharth Mridul came on a contempt petition filed by UGC claiming that IIPM was "attempting to do indirectly what they are not permitted to do directly, i.e., advertise itself as a B-school or hand out the same through proxies.”

Earlier, in September 2014 the Delhi High Court had restrained IIPM from describing its academic programmes as MBA, BBA or management courses, said advocate Arjun Harkauli counsel for UGC.

The Court had then also directed IIPM to display on its website the status of the foreign university, whose degree or certificate the students enrolling in the course will be entitled to.

The UGC’s petition claimed that IIPM does not have statutory recognition from the UGC, India’s technical education regulator – the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) or any other educational regulatory body.

Advocate Harkauli said that IIPM in complete disregard of the court’s directions has published an advertisement on its website inviting applications for a one-year full time ‘Global Management Programme in International Planning and Entrepreneurship – The 5 Country 2 Continent Program.’

The advertisement mentions that the students who are enrolled in the programme will undergo an ‘International Residency Programme in Advanced Global Management’ at a top B-school in Europe.

The UGC contended that in direct violation of the High Court direction IIPM has not disclosed the name, credentials and affiliations of the B-school that will grant the students enrolled their certificate. “Having knowledge about the B-school will have helped students assess the B-school and whether they wish to join IIPM or not,” the UGC said.

The plea sought to restrain IIPM from publishing the “offending prospectus and advertisement and to take it off their website”.

The Court has posted the case for further hearing on October 30, 2018.