Chapter II UNIVERSITY

1. (1) With effect from the appointed day, the existing University, shall be deemed to have been reconstituted as the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University under this Act.
2. (2) The first Chancellor, the first Vice-Chancellor and the first members of the Executive Council and the Academic Council, and all persons who may hereafter become the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor and members of the Executive Council and the Academic Council, are hereby constituted and declared to be a body corporate by the name of the "Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University" and such body corporate shall have perpetual succession and a common seal, and may by that name, sue and be sued.
3. (3) The University shall be a affiliating University and the territorial limits, within which the powers conferred upon the University by or under this Act may be exercised, shall comprise the whole of University area and it may affiliate any other college, or institution conducting engineering, pharmacy, architecture, hotel management and catering technology courses for the conferment of degrees, diplomas or grant certificates to the students admitted therein.
4. (4) The University shall be competent to acquire and hold property, both movable and immovable, to lease, sell or otherwise transfer or dispose of such property which may vest in, or be acquired by it, for the purposes of the University, and to contract and do all other things necessary for the purposes of this Act.
5. (5) The principal seat of the University shall be at Lonare in Raigad district in Konkan region, or at such other places as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf.
6. (6) The University may establish Regional centres at Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and at such other places as may be determined by the University, from time to time, in the manner laid down by the Statutes.
7. (7) The University may establish Sub-centres at Kolhapur, Solapur, Amravati, Nanded, Jalgaon and at such other places as may be determined by the University, from time to time, in the manner laid down by the Statutes.

1. (1) The Jurisdiction of the University shall extend to the whole of the State of Maharashtra. (2) On and from the appointed day, all existing colleges and autonomous institutions imparting education at degree and above level in various courses excepting those in Management which are coming under the purview of All India Council of Technical Education, Council of Architecture and Council of Pharmacy, previously admitted to the privileges of or affiliated to the universities specified in the Schedule-I appended to this Act, shall have the option to be admitted to the privileges of or affiliated to the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University established under this Act.
2. (3) Any new society, association or body in the State of Maharashtra seeking affiliation or recognition by the University to the college or institution started or conducted by it, imparting education at degree and above level in various courses excepting those in Management which are coming under the purview of All India Council of Technical Education, Council of Architecture and Council of Pharmacy, need not seek the permission of any other University constituted under the Maharashtra Universities Act, 1994 (Mah. XXXV of 1994), in the area of which the college or the institution, as the case may be, is to be or is located. On an application of any such society or association or body, the University may, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, grant the affiliation, with the previous sanction of the State Government, or the recognition, as the case may be, without seeking permission of any other University in the area of which the college or institution is to be or is located.
3. (4) No educational institution affiliated to or recognized by the University shall be associated in any way with, or seek admission to any privileges of, any other University established by law, except, with the permission of the University and the State Government.
4. (5) The campus and area of jurisdiction of the Regional centres and Sub-centres of the University shall be as specified in the Schedule-II.

The Objects of the University shall be as follows, namely :-

1. (a) to provide facilities and offer opportunities for higher education in engineering, technology and allied sciences by instruction, training, research, development and extension and by such other means as the University may deem fit;
2. (b) to devise and implement programme of education in engineering, technology and allied sciences which are relevant to the current needs of the society, alive to the longterm requirements and responsive to the anticipated changes and developments in terms of breadth of diversity and depth of specialization;
3. (c) to further the advancement of knowledge in engineering, technology and allied sciences; to prosecute and promote research; to disseminate and advance the knowledge thereon for the betterment of society and to bring about a widespread awareness of the tools and methods continuously generated by the advances in engineering, technology and allied sciences; and to achieve transference of technology to backward regions as well as to underprivileged persons in the State;
4. (d) to serve as a centre for fostering co-operation and exchange of ideas between the academic and research community on the one hand and the industrial and Governmental employers on the other, and to promote entrepreneurship among the students;
5. (e) to teach and examine students in such manner, and confer such degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions, as the University may deem fit;
6. (f) to provide integrated technological education at all levels for economic developments of the State and backward areas in particular;
7. (g) to co-operate with industries both in public and private sectors with a view to devising courses of instruction which would met the requirements of such industries;
8. (h) to establish extension centres at different regions of the University;
   • (i) such other purposes, not inconsistent with the foregoing provisions of this Act, which the State Government may, on application by the University, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf.

The medium of instruction and examination for courses upto certificate level may be Marathi or English, while that for courses beyond certificate level shall be English 1[or Marathi].

The University shall be open to all persons, irrespective of caste, creed, religion or sex and no person shall be excluded from admission to any degree, diploma, certificate or other academic distinction or courses of study, or from any office of the University or from membership of any of its authorities, bodies or committees, or from appointment to any post on the ground only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or political or other opinion : Provided that, the University may, subject to the previous sanction of the State Government, reserve certain seats for purposes of admission in accordance with the State Government rules issued from time to time for students for the following classes of persons, namely :-

1. (i) the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis) and Other Backward Classes;
2. (ii) students coming from State other than Maharashtra in case of selective courses.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the University shall have the following powers and functions, namely :-

1. (1) to provide for instruction and training in engineering, technology and allied sciences;
2. (2) to provide for research and for advancement and for dissemination of knowledge in engineering, technology and allied sciences;
3. (3) to institute degrees, diplomas and other qualifications including academic distinctions in engineering, technology and allied sciences;
4. (4) to make provision for conduct of research and transference of technological knowledge through extension education programme;
5. (5) to institute courses of study and to hold examinations for and to confer degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions;
6. (6) to hold examinations and confer degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions on persons who have,-
   • (i) pursued a prescribed course of study, or
   • (ii) carried out research in the University or in any other centre or institution recognized by the University under the prescribed conditions;
7. (7) to confer honorary degrees or other academic distinctions in the prescribed manner and under the prescribed conditions;
8. (8) to prescribe conditions under which the award of any degree, diploma, certificate and other academic distinctions to persons may be withheld;
9. (9) to provide training and instructions for persons not enrolled as regular students of University and to grant certificates to them as may be prescribed;
10. (10) to establish, develop and maintain faculties, laboratories, libraries and departments and other institutions of higher learning and research for such purposes as the University may determine;
11. (11) to act as co-ordinator among the various faculties, laboratories and centres of the University;
12. (12) to co-operate with any other University, authority or association or any other public or private body having in view the promotion of purposes and objects similar to those of the University for such purposes as may be agreed upon and on such terms and conditions as may, from time to time, be prescribed;
13. (13) to create teaching, research and extension posts and to appoint persons to such posts;
14. (14) to provide or arrange for training of teachers through Curriculum Design and Development Centre in the manner laid down by the Statutes;
15. (15) to create administrative, ministerial and other posts and to appoint persons to such posts;
16. (16) to institute and award fellowships, scholarships, prizes and medals in accordance with the Statutes;
17. (17) to establish and maintain institutions, schools, centres, workshops and other institutions relating to technology and allied sciences;
18. (18) to establish and maintain such Regional centres as may be determined by the University from time to time;
19. (19) to establish and maintain Sub-centres in the manner laid down by the Statutes;
20. (20) to establish and maintain or recognize hostels for students of the University and residential accommodation for the staff of the University and to withdraw any such recognition;
21. (21) to supervise and control the residence (in hostel), conduct and discipline of the students of the University and to make arrangements for promoting their health and welfare;
22. (22) to fix, demand and receive such fees and other charges as may be prescribed;
23. (23) to make provision for consumers, co-operative societies and institutions under its control;
24. (24) to admit to the privileges of the University, colleges and institutions not maintained by the University and withdraw all or any of those privileges in accordance with such conditions as may be prescribed by the Statutes;
25. (25) to lay down the conditions of affiliation of colleges and recognition of institutions taking into account the credibility of the management and the norms of academic performance of affiliated colleges, faculties and subjects, as may be laid down, by the Academic Council in accordance with the rules and regulations laid down by the State Government from time to time, and satisfy itself by periodical assessment through Planning and Evaluation (Monitoring) Board that those conditions are fulfilled;
26. (26) to designate a University department, conducted college, an affiliated college, institution, or school as an autonomous University department, conducted college, affiliated college or institution or school, as the case may be, in accordance with the guidelines, if any, laid down by the University Grants Commission, from time to time;
27. (27) to monitor and evaluate the academic performance of affiliated colleges and recognized institutions for affiliation, continuance of recognition, renewal of affiliation and periodical accreditation;
28. (28) to inspect, where necessary, affiliated colleges and recognized institutions through suitable machinery established for the purpose, and take measures to ensure that proper standards of instruction, teaching and training are maintained by them and adequate library, laboratory, hostel, workshop and other academic facilities are provided for;
29. (29) to rescind affiliation granted to colleges;
30. (30) to ‘de-recognize’ the institutions which have been granted recognition by the University;
31. (31) to act as trustees or managers for any property, legacy, endowment, bequest or gift for the purpose of education or research or otherwise in furtherance of the work and welfare of the University and to invest any funds representing the same, in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the Statutes made there under;
32. (32) to assess the needs of the State and the country in terms of subjects, field of specialization, levels of education and training of technical manpower both on short and long term basis, and to initiate necessary programmes to meet those needs;
33. (33) to organize advance studies and research programme based on a deep understanding of the trends in engineering, technology and in allied sciences so that the profession shall be ensured of persons who are not only up-to-date in knowledge and learning, but also shall be able to provide the lead;
34. (34) to promote research, design, development and extension service activities that have a relevance to social needs and the development programme of the nation and particularly of backward and under developed areas;
35. (35) to initiate measures to enlist the co-operation of industries and Governmental employers to provide complementary facilities;
36. (36) to provide for continuous experimentation in imparting knowledge, organisation of training and preparation of textbooks and other instructional materials;
37. (37) to arrange for progressive introduction of continuous evaluation and reorientation of the objectives in educational measurement;
38. (38) to further entrepreneurial ability among its students;
39. (39) to educate the public with regard to the requirement of, and opportunities in, the profession of engineering, technology and allied sciences and its responsibilities and service to the society;
40. (40) to enter into any agreement for the merger in the University of any other college or institution and for taking over its rights and liabilities and or any other purpose not repugnant to the provisions of this Act;
41. (41) to do all such acts and things, whether incidental to the powers and functions aforesaid or not, as may be necessary or desirable to further the objects of the University;
42. (42) to make provision to enable colleges and recognized institutions to undertake specialized studies;
43. (43) to recommend to the State Government to take over, in the public interest, the management of an affiliated college, institution or autonomous college in case where irregularities or commissions or omissions of criminal nature by the management of such college or institution are prima facie evident to the committee of enquiry appointed by the University;
44. (44) to establish and maintain industry co-ordination centres for fostering partnership with industry for mutual benefits.