Madras High Court halts 2025 NIRF rankings publication

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has stopped the release of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking for 2025. The decision came after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by C. Chellamuthu from Oddanchatram. Chellamuthu claimed that the NIRF rankings are misleading and lack a solid basis. He argued that the rankings are awarded based on self-reported data from institutions, without any verification or auditing. This could harm the quality of higher education in India. The NIRF evaluates colleges in five main areas: Teaching, Learning and Resources; Research and Professional Practice; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity; and Perception. However, the petitioner pointed out that unlike the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), NIRF does not have a robust auditing process for the data submitted. In his petition, Chellamuthu said the data provided by institutions may be manipulated and is not trustworthy. He called for a system where the data is verified against official government records before rankings are published. The court has not only restrained the publication of the 2025 NIRF rankings but also requested a response from the authorities. The matter will be reviewed again on April 24.