A decade on, Mahatma Gandhi Central University has 5 campuses, none permanent; CAG flags lapses

At Mahatma Gandhi Central University (MGCU) in Motihari, Bihar, around half a dozen PhD scholars of the Department of Educational Studies share their small 15-by-20 foot study with students of the Department of Library and Information Science. “When 15 to 30 students from another course are attending classes there, it becomes difficult to study,” said a PhD scholar.

This sort of problem is common at MGCU Motihari. The unitary university – it has no affiliated colleges – is spread over five premises across the city, none permanent. Operational since 2016, it is yet to get a permanent campus. The lack of one is directly impacting the students’ academic experience, they say. Everything from classrooms to hostels are a problem.

The university had identified land for a permanent campus several years ago. Its 2017-18 annual report said the Bihar government had identified around 302 acres for the campus, near Bankat-Bairiya village, adjoining Motihari town, in East Champaran district. It said around 136 acres were expected to be notified by the state government shortly.

Nearly a decade later, the permanent campus exists only on paper.

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However, in its statement to Careers360, MGCU said the detailed campus estimate prepared by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has been submitted to the ministry of education for approval. “Construction will begin as soon as approval is granted and funds are released,” the university said.

The proposed campus has also become substantially more expensive. A Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) compliance audit of MGCU’s 2024-25 financial records found that the estimated cost prepared by CPWD rose from Rs 850 crore to Rs 1,338 crore after the detailed project report was prepared.

MGCU disputed the figure saying it had not reported an estimate of Rs 850 crore to any authority. It said the Rs 1,338 crore estimate was prepared by CPWD after consultations with faculty, officers and students and covers infrastructure required for a fully functional central university.

The university said the estimate was prepared in accordance with the applicable norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Department of Biotechnology. It also said the ministry of education has not prescribed a minimum or maximum amount for the project.

The audit, covering MGCU’s financial records for 2024-25, also flagged procurement violations, missing records and expenditure-related concerns. MGCU told CAG that the matter was being examined by the concerned section and that further action would be communicated.

MGCU has seen multiple controversies over the first decade of existence. A former VC was sacked for faking his academic credentials. A more recent petition in the Patna High Court has challenged the present VC’s eligibility.

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MGCU: Teachers’ shortage, irregular classes

As MGCU struggled to get established, experienced teachers left. With their departure, the academic environment deteriorated, said a student who completed his undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) studies at MGCU and is now pursuing a PhD.

“During my first four-five years at the university, the teachers who had joined earlier were generally well qualified and punctual. But gradually, many of them left, and the quality and functioning deteriorated,” they said.

He said irregular classes have also become a concern. “If a class was scheduled for 10 or 11 AM, teachers sometimes come at 1:30 or 2 PM. This leaves us waiting for hours,” he said.

MGCU rejected the claim, saying, “Classes are being held regularly across all campuses in accordance with the academic calendar.”

The PhD admission process is delayed. Although his academic session was 2025-28, he said he was admitted only in February 2026.

MGCU said PhD admission notifications are issued after UGC-NET results are declared because eligibility and selection depend on the results. “The timing of PhD admissions is therefore linked to the national examination schedule, not to any delay on the university’s part,” it said.

The university added that the students with specific concerns can approach the grievance cell/Dean of Students’ Welfare.

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MGCU Problems: Classrooms, hostel, library

Mahatma Gandhi Central University (MGCU) is currently functioning from five temporary locations in Motihari – Chanakya Parisar, Mahatma Buddha Parisar, Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Parisar, Gandhi Bhawan and the Dr Ambedkar Administrative Building.

The five premises are set at 2-4 km from each other. While classes for a department are held in the same campus, other functions require both faculty and students to move from one campus to another. The VC sits at the Dr Ambedkar Administrative Building.

At the Mahatma Buddha Parisar campus, there are around 12 to 14 classrooms shared by different departments, according to a PhD scholar. “I have seen the conditions of other campuses as well. There is no difference. The problem is not limited to one department.” The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Central Library is also located here.

“The library is far from some departments, so students usually go there only to issue or return books. For fee, scholarship or document-related work, they also have to travel to the academic block,” other student said.

Research scholars say it lacks academic and research-oriented books, “leaning heavily toward religious and ideological texts."

MGCU said the library currently has more than 35,000 books, including over 1,000 donated volumes, and serves all seven schools and 20 departments. It said students and scholars also have access to research databases, including web of science, scopus, ProQuest and DELNET, along with resources from publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, Oxford, Cambridge and Sage.

The university said the library has air-conditioned reading halls, internet facilities, computer labs and OPAC access. Turnitin is also available to research scholars, it said. An RFID system was launched at the central library in February 2026, according to MGCU.

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Deen Dayal Upadhayaya Parisar is home to departments such as media studies and commerce. “The campuses are quite congested. For example, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Parisar is a narrow, four-storey building with only three rooms on each floor, where management classes are held. It has limited space in a very crowded area and a hospital adjacent to it. This creates problems with parking and movement for students and staff,” a student said.

Chanakya Parisar, located on the Zila School premises, houses the university’s science and technology departments, including computer science, information technology, life sciences and physical sciences.

Politicians assured students they would be provided hostels within a year during the university’s first formal convocation in 2023. But students continue to live in rented accommodation outside the university. MGCU’s website lists hostel facilities for female students only.

MGCU said it has inaugurated the Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar Women’s Hostel, which has Wi-Fi, CCTV surveillance, dining facilities, a gymnasium, reading rooms and common spaces. It said a boys’ hostel is also expected to become operational shortly.

The university added that the permanent campus plan includes complete classroom, library and hostel facilities which will address these needs comprehensively.

“The university takes these concerns seriously. Many of these constraints exist because MGCU is still functioning from temporary premises while the permanent campus awaits approval. Even so, the university has made substantial investments in student facilities,” MGCU said.

MGCU Motihari: The permanent campus

According to the CAG report, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with CPWD, Muzaffarpur in June 2024 for a 255.55-acre site. The work included counter survey, digital mapping, soil testing, design and estimation of the boundary wall and gate.

The report said CPWD initially prepared an approximate estimate of Rs 850 crore. After subsequent work on the detailed project report, the estimated cost was revised to Rs 1,338 crore – a 58% increase.

As of 2026, 47 central universities, including MGCU, are under the ministry of education.

Four were established after Mahatma Gandhi Central University (MGCU) – Central University of Andhra Pradesh (2018), Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh (2019), Sindhu Central University (2021) in Ladakh and Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University (2023) in Telangana – according to ministry of education data.

The Central University of Andhra Pradesh shifted to its 491 acres permanent campus in August 2024. The Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh operates from a temporary campus and, as per new reports, will shift to its permanent campus in December 2026.

Sindhu Central University is also operating from a transit campus while its 110-acre permanent campus at Khaltsi, Ladakh, is being developed. Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University is functioning from a transit campus at Jakaram, Telangana, as completion of its permanent campus is pending.

But MGCU Motihari is still far from having its own campus.

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Mahatma Gandhi Central University: Other irregularities

The CAG’s latest audit on MGCU’s financial records for 2024-25 raises other questions as well, over financial irregularities, missing documents, and procurement procedures. It also points to expenditure on the university’s convocation, seminars and conferences, vehicle hiring, research grants, and other administrative records.

The audit was conducted by the office of the principal director of audit (central), Lucknow, in January 2026. The findings were shared with Akash Kumar, a former MA journalism and mass communication student at MGCU, earlier in September 9 and in response to his RTI application filed with the CAG in August.

CAG found that repair and maintenance works (buildings) amounting to Rs 86 lakh were carried out during the year, of which, work orders, agreements and completion certificates were not available for several projects. It also noted that quotations were missing for several as well.

“Several repair works of similar nature were split into multiple contracts below Rs 10 lakh to bypass the requirement of open tender enquiry,” the report said, adding that “Most works were executed and payments were made between January-March 2025, indicating a year-end rush of the expenditure."

The CAG audit also noted that MGCU is yet to appoint its first registrar and finance officer, who are to be appointed by the visitor, the president of India, for a three-year term under the Central Universities Act, 2009.

In its response, MGCU said the posts had been advertised several times. A three-member panel for the first registrar was sent to the Ministry of Education in December 2024, but a final decision was awaited. The university said recruitment for the first finance officer was underway.

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MGCU faculty appointments

The concerns over campus infrastructure come alongside questions raised by Kumar and faculty members over faculty appointments and promotions at MGCU. They have alleged plagiarism in some faculty members’ research papers and questioned whether some appointees met the required eligibility criteria.

Academics alleged that candidates with lower academic qualifications were selected over more qualified applicants. “In one case, a candidate had several articles published in a journal run by the university official involved in the recruitment process,” an associate professor said.

Akash Kumar said he had raised questions about faculty appointments and promotions at the university in 2023 and 2024 and submitted complaints to the university administration. He was suspended in July 2024 and later expelled, both of which he challenged before the Patna High Court. Earlier this week, the Patna HC ordered MGCU to reinstate him .

The appointment-related concerns have also reached the Patna High Court.

A single bench of justice Ajit Kumar has asked the education ministry and MGCU VC Sanjay Srivastava to respond to a petition challenging the latter’s eligibility to lead the university.