New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC), which regulates the Al-Falah School of Medical Science and Research— where the alleged accused in the Red Fort car blast case was employed—has said that it was monitoring the investigation and will take appropriate action based on the findings of the investigative agencies.
The Al-Falah University in Faridabad is under scrutiny after staff members at its medical school — Umar Mohammad, Muzammil Shakeel and Shaheen Shahid — were linked to the Red Fort car blast that took place on Monday evening.
While the private university is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), its medical school falls under the jurisdiction of the NMC.
“The matter is currently under investigation. As the medical regulatory authority, the NMC will take appropriate action in accordance with statutory regulations once the findings of the investigating agencies are received,” a senior NMC official told ThePrint.
Established in 2014 through the Haryana Legislative Assembly’s Act 21 of 2014, Al-Falah University offers programmes in engineering, medical and health sciences, management (MBA), commerce, science, humanities, education, diplomas, and doctoral (PhD) courses.
It is an initiative of the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, which first established an engineering college in 1997, followed by a school for teachers’ training in 2006. Overall, it was recognised as a university in 2014.
NAAC accreditation expired
While the university website states that its two schools—Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology and Al-Falah School of Education and Training—were accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), officials at the Council said the accreditation is no longer valid.
The NAAC is an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Education that evaluates and accredits higher education institutions to ensure quality and standards in education.
Officials at NAAC clarified that while the university itself was never accredited, its colleges of engineering and teacher education had received accreditation in the past, but that validity has expired.
“While the engineering college was accredited in 2013, its School of Teacher Education and Training was accredited in 2011. Although both received an A grade at the time, the accreditation is no longer valid. Accreditation is valid for five years from the date of award,” a senior NAAC official said.
“If the university is still claiming accreditation on its website, it is against the NAAC norms,” the official added.
ThePrint has reached out to university officials via email for comment on the accreditation claims. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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