KATHMANDU: The Curriculum Development Centre of Tribhuvan University (TU) has invalidated the equivalence of academic degrees obtained from Indian universities by 114 Nepali students on Wednesday, July 15.

According to the Centre, the equivalence has been cancelled for 13 individuals who received degrees from CMJ University in Meghalaya, India; 98 from Sangai International University in Manipur; two from Techno Global University, also in Meghalaya; and one from Pragyan International University in Jharkhand.

The Centre stated that the equivalence was revoked after an investigation committee’s recommendation indicated that maintaining the equivalence of these degrees was not justifiable. Ram Krishna Tiwari, Executive Director of the Curriculum Development Centre, explained that an investigation was launched by forming a committee regarding degrees from universities whose validity had been questioned by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India. “Equivalence had been granted previously. However, the University Grants Commission of India later raised questions about those academic credentials, and we also received some complaints,” he said. “Following that, we formed a committee and conducted an investigation.”

The Centre had published a 35-day notice in the Gorkhapatra daily during March/April and April/May 2026, giving the concerned individuals time to present grounds and evidence as to why their equivalence should not be revoked. “We had issued a notice to present grounds for not cancelling the equivalence. It was revoked after the concerned individuals failed to provide sufficient justification to maintain their equivalence,” Tiwari said.

According to the Centre, since the documents received during the notice period failed to show sufficient grounds to maintain the equivalence, the decision was taken to revoke it in accordance with Regulation 21 of Tribhuvan University’s ‘Regulations on Degree Recognition and Equivalence, 2025.’

Interest in the investigation

After the government appointed new officials, including former Secretary Kishor Thapa, as the Chairperson of the Tribhuvan University Service Commission on July 1, the stalled internal and open promotion processes have been resumed.

Along with this, since the University Grants Commission of India raised questions about the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program of Singhania University in Rajasthan, concerns have grown over whether candidates who obtained degrees from there will receive recognition in TU’s professor promotion process.

Singhania University in Rajasthan. Photo Source: University Website

The University Grants Commission of India, determining that Singhania University failed to comply with required academic standards while awarding PhDs, has banned the admission of new students for five years, from the academic session 2025/2026 to 2029/2030 AD. The Commission had issued a notice on January 16, 2025, clarifying that PhD degrees awarded in violation of its standards and approval would not be valid for higher education and employment.

Equivalence was suspended back in 2022

TU has previously maintained strict measures regarding the equivalence of PhD degrees obtained from certain Indian universities.

The Curriculum Development Centre, which issues equivalence, had suspended the process of granting equivalence to degrees obtained from four universities, including Singhania in Rajasthan, by issuing a notice on August 30, 2022.

However, Jiban Mani Paudel, an assistant professor at TU’s Central Department of Anthropology, notes that the delay in concluding the investigation regarding PhD degrees from Singhania could affect the upcoming interviews for professor promotion.

Paudel had filed a complaint with the TU Service Commission in September/October 2025, questioning the PhD degree obtained by Bishnu Prasad Dahal, an assistant professor at Patan Multiple Campus, from Singhania University. “The question arises: what will those who become professors by submitting a PhD that has been questioned by the University Grants Commission of India itself teach their students?” he asks. “Where does this lead our academic prestige? Therefore, there must be an investigation into this as quickly as possible.”

When contacted via phone calls and SMS for his response regarding the complaint filed against the ‘suspicious’ PhD degree obtained from Singhania, Dahal did not wish to respond.

Former TU official Deepak Aryal also states that the truth regarding this matter must be uncovered quickly to make a decision. “Questions have arisen about how those who returned with degrees from India acquired them,” he says. “It is essential to find out the truth about this.”

TU awaiting court’s decision

Ram Krishna Tiwari, Executive Director of the Curriculum Development Centre, explains that since the case regarding PhDs obtained from Singhania University is sub-judice in India’s High Court, TU’s investigation is also ongoing. “The final outcome of the case in India’s High Court has not yet been decided,” he says. “The investigation here will progress based on the decision received from there. Right now, it is in process.”

According to him, equivalence applications and complaints received until 5:00 PM on July 16, will fall under the jurisdiction of the Curriculum Development Centre’s investigation. From July 17, all equivalence-related work will be handled by the University Grants Commission.

Bishnu Prasad Aryal, Administrative Chief of the TU Service Commission, states that candidates whose equivalence is currently active will be allowed to participate in the promotion process interviews. “What we look at is the equivalence,” he says. “If the equivalence is intact, points will be awarded for it.”

However, the commission has not made a clear decision on what to do if the Curriculum Development Centre cancels a candidate’s PhD equivalence before the interview or the publication of results. “If the Curriculum Development Centre completes its investigation and cancels the PhD equivalence by the time the interview results are out, the Service Commission will likely reconsider,” Chief Aryal says. “However, what exact procedure to follow in such a scenario has not yet been decided.”

According to Aryal, since the complaint filed against Patan Multiple Campus Assistant Professor Dahal is related to equivalence, the decision on it must come from the Curriculum Development Centre itself.

No data

No agency has precise data on how many individuals who received a PhD from Singhania University are currently employed at TU or are participating in the current promotion process.

All three officials—TU Service Commission Administrative Chief Aryal, Curriculum Development Centre Executive Director Tiwari, and University Grants Commission Director Kedar Prasad Acharya—admit that there is no official data on this. They state that the exact number will only be known after the investigation.

Although Tiwari claimed that during the nine months since his appointment as Executive Director, investigations had been carried out on various PhD degrees and those deemed invalid had their equivalence revoked, he did not wish to disclose the number of such cancelled degrees.

Meanwhile, UGC Director Acharya states that although the commission does not have official records of the exact number of Nepalis holding degrees from Singhania, he has received informal information that over 300 Nepalis have completed their PhDs from there. He says, “It is heard that some of them are employed at TU, some at the Ministry of Education, some in private and community colleges, and others are in different professions.”

Despite the University Grants Commission of India already taking action against Singhania’s PhD program, the stance of Nepal’s University Grants Commission remains unclear. “As far as I understand, the degrees of those who had already completed their studies from Singhania and returned have not been cancelled,” Acharya says. “However, if anyone has pursued a PhD even after the ban on new admissions, such degrees may be revoked.”