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Al-Falah University has told NAAC that outdated accreditation claims on its website were due to oversight and technical lapses, removing the content after receiving a show-cause notice. NAAC, which also issued similar notices to 25 institutions, is tightening compliance checks. The university remains under wider scrutiny amid investigations tied to the Red Fort blast.

Faridabad’s Al-Falah University, already under an investigative spotlight following the November 10 Red Fort blast, is now defending itself against allegations of misleading accreditation claims on its official website. The institution submitted its response to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) after being issued a show-cause notice on November 12.

University Calls Website Claims an ‘Oversight’

According to senior NAAC officials, the university acknowledged that its outdated accreditation listings were the result of “oversight,” citing website-design lapses and unintentional errors. The officials said Al-Falah expressed regret and confirmed that all disputed claims had been removed from the site, as per the Hindustan Times report.

“Al-Falah University gave a long explanation about why the outdated accreditation information was still on their website. They said it was an oversight or a website-design mistake and that the pages have now been taken down,” a senior NAAC official said, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The notice had flagged the appearance of an “A Grade” for the engineering college from 2013 and accreditation from 2011 for the teacher education school, well beyond NAAC’s five-year validity period.

NAAC Flags Broader Sector-Wide Issue

The accreditation body, prompted by the Al-Falah findings, has initiated similar notices to around 25 other institutions discovered displaying expired grades. Officials said maintaining accuracy is challenging when institutions bury old claims within deep webpage layers. NAAC has long warned that such practices can mislead students and stakeholders, reiterating its 2018 caution that misrepresentation could invite “stringent action.”

Investigations Expand Beyond Accreditation

The university’s troubles extend beyond website compliance. On November 18, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, chairman of the Al-Falah group, in a money-laundering probe linked to alleged fraudulent accreditation claims and financial irregularities. The Association of Indian Universities has already revoked Al-Falah’s membership.

Meanwhile, the National Medical Commission removed four doctors from its register after they were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their alleged role in the Red Fort blast. Vice-chancellor Bhupinder Kaur has distanced the institution from the accused, stating they were associated only in an official capacity.