49 Non-Existent Colleges Found in Pune University Records; Verification Drive Underway

Pune, 2nd October 2025: A Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) committee has discovered that 49 out of 141 affiliated colleges, whose information had not been updated, do not exist, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr. Parag Kalkar informed on Wednesday. The university has published the list of these non-existent colleges and said verification of the remaining institutions is in progress.

Dr. Kalkar shared this information during a question-and-answer session on the second day of the university’s senate meeting. Responding to a query raised by member Amol Gholap, he explained that while 141 colleges were flagged for outdated records, 49 were found missing altogether.

Senate member Yuvraj Narwade alleged that inspection committee members were submitting reports without physically visiting colleges. Dr. Kalkar said the university has implemented a monitoring system for these committees and warned that strict action will follow if lapses are confirmed. He also announced that information from 200 to 250 additional colleges will be verified in the next three months.

During the session, member Rahul Pakhre demanded a waiver of examination fees for students from flood-affected areas. Dr. Kalkar clarified that students from talukas declared as “wet drought” zones by the state government will be granted fee waivers on application. He added that Rs 2 crore has been earmarked for this relief, and more funds will be allocated from the Vice-Chancellor’s authority if required.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Suresh Gosavi told the senate that a written assurance had been given to member Vinayak Ambekar regarding a forensic audit. “Appropriate action will be taken depending on the seriousness of the findings,” he said. Following this, Ambekar withdrew his adjournment motion.

The senate also witnessed heated exchanges over allegations of financial irregularities in the technology department. On Tuesday, members accused the head of the department of misconduct. Raising the issue again on Wednesday, member Sachin Gorde pressed for immediate action, but the management opposed it. Dissatisfied, Gorde walked out of the meeting.

Another debate centered on appointments to senior academic positions. Member Dr. Harsh Jagjap criticized the appointment of an assistant professor as dean and suggested that only experienced associate professors should be considered for such posts.

Acting Registrar Dr. Jyoti Bhakare assured that the matter will be examined legally before any decision is taken.