A major controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu’s higher education sector after a joint inspection by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the University of Madras allegedly exposed fraudulent conduct in the M.A. Philosophy program run by Loyola College, Chennai. The findings, submitted by the University Registrar to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 16 August 2025, form the basis of a fresh complaint seeking the Governor’s intervention as Chancellor of the University.
No department, no students, no academic program
According to extracts of the inspection report, Loyola College failed to meet even the minimum academic requirements to run a postgraduate philosophy program. Inspectors reportedly found no separate classroom, faculty room, departmental library, or signage indicating a Philosophy Department. Most alarmingly, they also found no first- or second-year students present during the inspection. These findings strongly suggest that no genuine academic program was being conducted on the authorized campus.
The program allegedly run from the Jesuit training center
The inspection findings also corroborate allegations that the M.A. Philosophy program was not conducted within Loyola College at all but instead operated from Satya Nilayam, a Jesuit priestly and missionary training center. The program is alleged to be designed primarily for Christian missionaries, including foreign nationals, and not openly accessible to the general public, raising serious concerns of religious exclusion and violation of constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination.
Decades of regulatory failure since 1998
Equally troubling is the revelation that no effective inspection or academic review of the program was conducted by the University of Madras since 1998. This prolonged regulatory apathy allegedly allowed the program to continue for decades under the shield of autonomy, pointing to systemic failure and possible institutional complicity within the university’s governance framework.
Violation of reservation norms and admission transparency
The Registrar’s report to the NHRC also notes that Loyola College failed to submit category-wise admission data and did not comply with constitutionally mandated reservation policies. LRPF states that this is not a procedural lapse but a structural exclusion of disadvantaged and non-Christian communities from access to higher education, striking at the core of Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Constitution.
Allegations of visa misuse and FCRA violations
Despite the gravity of the findings, the Syndicate of the University of Madras reportedly decided on 23 December 2025 to suspend the M.A. Philosophy program for only three years. Critics have termed this response grossly inadequate, pointing out that no financial penalties, administrative action, or accountability measures have been taken against responsible officials, raising concerns about institutional shielding.
The complaint further alleges the misuse of student visas to accommodate foreign nationals under the guise of academic enrollment, alongside the diversion of foreign funds received under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) for unauthorized activities at Loyola College. These claims elevate the issue beyond academic misconduct, touching upon internal security, financial transparency, and national interest.
With official inspection findings already on record, this case has become a litmus test for regulatory integrity in India’s higher education system. Whether authorities pursue a high-level independent inquiry or allow the matter to fade with symbolic action will determine public confidence in university oversight, autonomy, and constitutional accountability.
Role of Legal Rights Protection Forum in uncovering the fraud
The exposure of alleged academic fraud at Loyola College is the direct result of the Legal Rights Protection Forum’s (LRPF) relentless legal intervention, which has pursued this case with documented evidence and constitutional precision despite prolonged institutional resistance. Beginning with its formal representation to the Governor of Tamil Nadu in February 2025, LRPF systematically escalated the issue to statutory authorities, ultimately compelling scrutiny by the National Human Rights Commission and forcing the University of Madras to officially place its own inspection findings on record.
Relying strictly on primary documents, inspection extracts, admission forms, regulatory violations, and statutory non-compliance, LRPF demonstrated that the M.A. Philosophy program existed largely on paper, was not conducted on the authorized campus, and functioned in blatant violation of UGC norms. LRPF’s sustained pressure, a regulatory failure dating back to 1998 that spanned multiple university administrations, would have remained unaddressed, highlighting the Forum’s decisive role in breaking decades of institutional silence and triggering overdue accountability within the higher education system.
