Students protest registration number blocking by Pune’s SPPU, varsity cites UGC’s term limit rule

Protesting students at SPPU in Pune said they were not informed about the term limit rule by the university.

The students protesting at SPPU. A 2015 notification by the UGC laid out a maximum term validity of N+2+1 years for students to complete a degree in exceptional cases, where N stands for the minimum duration prescribed for the programme. (Express photo)

Students whose permanent registration numbers (PRNs) were blocked by Savitribai Phule Pune University due to the University Grants Commission (UGC) term limit rule held a sit-in protest against the decision at the university campus on Monday.

A group of six to eight students protested near the main building, holding a poster that read, “PRNs for final year students should be unblocked immediately.”

A 2015 notification by the UGC laid out a maximum term validity of N+2+1 years for students to complete a degree in exceptional cases, where N stands for the minimum duration prescribed for the programme.

This means that students who began their four-year courses in 2017-2018 would have to complete the degree by 2024.

Rushikesh Badgujar, an engineering student at Pune Vidhyarthi Griha’s College of Engineering and Technology, said, “I joined the course in 2017 and completed my first two years. Then I had to take a drop for a few years due to financial constraints. I joined back in 2023 to complete my last two years but we were never told that we would be ineligible in 2024. If we had been informed earlier we would not have joined and wasted a year here. We are a group of 25 students. A few of us protested for 12 hours and then our protest was stopped by the police.”

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Similarly, an engineering student at Navsahyadri Group Of Institute, Harshada Shelar, said, “I took admission in 2017. We have not received any information, and the college did not provide us with any documents about the term validity. Due to personal issues at home I had to take a few drop years and now I am disqualified.”

Mahesh Kakde, director of the Board of Examinations and Evaluation at SPPU, explained the university’s decision. “The management council of the university accepted the UGC notification in 2016, and this was notified at that time. These are our students, and if there was any possibility that we could help them, we would. What can we do if they are not eligible under the UGC rules?” he asked.

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“We have allowed over 17,000 students who have backlogs to appear, but UGC is not at all ready to give relief to students who want to appear for the final year beyond the prescribed time limit,” Kakde added.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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