New Delhi, July 3: Delhi High Court has directed the University Grants Commission to include Amity University of Uttar Pradesh in the list of recognised universities on its website.

Justice B.D. Ahmed yesterday asked the commission to conduct periodic inspection of the university and point out deficiencies, if any.

The court said UGC is a public body and performs public functions and although it has discretion in maintaining or not maintaining a list of universities, “once the discretion is exercised, it must be reasonable and not arbitrary”.

It also asked the commission to include Amity in the non-statutory category under Section 2(F) of the UGC act.

The order came on a petition filed by the Noida-based Amity University, which alleged the commission had adopted an “unreasonable” approach by not including it on its website.

Amity claimed that because its name was not displayed on the website, students have been denied admission in foreign universities.

Also, many faced problems when applying for government jobs as there was confusion over whether the university was recognised.

Amity added that the Institute of Charted Accountants of India as well as the Indian Nursing Council have denied admission to its students on the ground that the university’s name was not found on the UGC website.

Following a 2004 Supreme Court ruling on private universities in Chhattisgarh, more than 90 private universities — including Amity — were declared bogus.

But keeping in mind the plight of thousands of students, the court had suggested interim relief — these institutes could seek affiliation with state universities, pending the grant of university status through separate acts.

The next year, Uttar Pradesh enacted the Amity University Uttar Pradesh Act, under which the institution was recognised as a full-fledged university.