BTech degrees, diplomas in engineering awarded by IGNOU till 2011-12 session valid: AICTE

The BTech degrees and Diploma in Engineering and Technology awarded by IGNOU up to 2011-2012 academic session will be treated as valid, the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has said.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was offering the two courses through distance learning, however, the courses were discontinued after the University Grants Commission (UGC) said they are in violation of norms and technical courses cannot be offered through distance learning mode.

IGNOU was conducting the two courses through distance learning mode and litigations were going on in various courts regarding the validity of these courses. "In 2018, the Supreme Court recognised the validity of Diploma and BTech degrees awarded by IGNOU to candidates who were enrolled up to the academic year 2009-10," an order issued by the Policy and Academic Planning Bureau of the technical education regulator said.

It said that the apex court has now granted some relief to petitioners from the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic sessions and opined that since there is no distance education course in IGNOU in the said subject after these years and these are the last batches who will be granted the reliefs.

"The AICTE has no objection for BTech degree and Diploma in Engineering awarded by IGNOU to the students who were enrolled up to academic year 2011-12 with IGNOU as per Supreme Court judgement and hence are treated as valid as a special case but cannot be taken as precedence and not for post-2012," the AICTE added.