Authority: Supreme Court of India, Civil Original Jurisdiction (Bench of J. Vikram Nath and J. Sandeep Mehta)

Order Date: July 14, 2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioners: Banasthali Vidyapith and I.P. (P.G.) College, Campus‑II, Bulandshahr filed writ petitions (Civil) Nos. 762 and 768 of 2026 under Article 32 seeking modification of NCTE recognition to be operative from the academic session 2026‑27.
  • Respondent: National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE); consequential relief also sought against Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCS University) for affiliation.
  • Background: NCTE issued public notices on 15‑Mar‑2024 and 22‑Apr‑2024 inviting applications for Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) for the 2025‑26 session. Both institutions applied in May 2024.
  • Banasthali Vidyapith: Application examined by Western Regional Committee (WRC). Letter of Intent dated 24‑Oct‑2025; compliance submitted 22‑Dec‑2025; initial refusal on 05‑Feb‑2026; appeal allowed 26‑Feb‑2026; WRC granted recognition on 21‑May‑2026 for four ITEP units with total intake of 200 students, operative from 2027‑28.
  • I.P. (P.G.) College: Application examined by Northern Regional Committee (NRC). Initial refusal on 20‑Jan‑2025 for not meeting shortlisting criteria; appeal allowed 16‑Sep‑2025; NRC issued Letter of Intent on 26‑Feb‑2026; after compliance, recognition granted on 20‑May‑2026 for one unit each of B.Sc. B.Ed. and B.Com. B.Ed., total intake 100 students, operative from 2027‑28. The college also required affiliation from CCS University for the 2026‑27 session.
  • Both institutions argue that without modification they would miss the counselling process for ITEP admissions for 2026‑27, losing an entire academic session.
  • Court proceedings: Notice issued on 15‑Jun‑2026; NCTE given time to respond; further week granted on 07‑Jul‑2026; NCTE filed counter‑affidavits; counsel for petitioners and NCTE heard.
  • Court observed that deficiencies had been removed, eligibility conditions satisfied, and the only remaining issue was the operative academic session.

Final Outcome

  • For W.P. (C) No. 762 of 2026 (Banasthali Vidyapith):

1. NCTE shall issue a modified recognition order within a week, making the earlier order dated 21‑May‑2026 operative from the academic session 2026‑27 and permitting admission of students against the recognised intake.

2. Upon issuance, the petitioner shall be provisionally permitted to participate in the counselling and admission process for 2026‑27, subject to compliance with applicable norms.

  • For W.P. (C) No. 768 of 2026 (I.P. (P.G.) College):

1. NCTE shall issue a modified recognition order within a week, making the order dated 20‑May‑2026 operative from the academic session 2026‑27 and permitting admission of students against the recognised intake.

2. CCS University shall grant the requisite affiliation for the recognised courses within three days of the modified recognition, subject to fulfilment of applicable requirements.

3. Upon issuance of both the modified recognition and the affiliation, the petitioner shall be provisionally permitted to participate in the counselling and admission process for 2026‑27.

  • The Court directed NCTE and, where applicable, CCS University to ensure the petitioners are not excluded from the counselling and admission process solely because of the original session specification.
  • Pending applications (I.A. No. 178906 of 2026 in W.P. 762 and I.A. No. 179682 of 2026 in W.P. 768) are disposed of.

Topics: Teacher Education, Regulatory Relief, Higher Education Admissions