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On Thursday, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court ordered the Ministry of Education and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) to refrain from releasing the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings for 2025. This ruling followed a public interest litigation filed by C. Chellamuthu from Oddanchatram in Dindigul district.
The NIRF, created by the NBA under the Ministry of Education’s guidance, evaluates higher education institutions nationwide and publishes annual rankings based on five categories: Teaching, Learning and Resources; Research and Professional Practice; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity; and Perception, as outlined in the petition.
The NBA mandates institutions to upload data such as student and staff numbers, salaries, graduation rates, placement statistics, and research funding on its portal. The petitioner contended that rankings were based solely on this data, lacking verification or auditing.
Unlike the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Annual Quality Assurance Report (AQAR), which is rigorously audited, the petitioner argued that NIRF data is often manipulated and inaccurate. He highlighted the absence of transparency and accountability, noting that institutions could submit their data online rather than relying on official government records, leading to top rankings without proper verification.
