The University Grants Commission on Friday declared 21 “self-styled universities” as fake. These institutions have not been recognised by the higher education body and they do not have the power to offer any degrees, the higher education body said in a release.

“At least 21 self-styled, unrecognised institutions which are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act, have been declared as fake universities and these are not empowered to confer any degree,” Rajnish Jain, the secretary of body said in a statement.

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Delhi has eight such fake universities, the highest among all states and Union Territories.

The institutions in Delhi that were de-recognised are All India Institute of Public & Physical Health Sciences, Commercial University Limited, United Nations University, Vocational University, ADR-Centric Juridical University, Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Viswakarma Open University for Self-employment and Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University).

Uttar Pradesh has four such fake universities – Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University) and Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad.

Two universities from West Bengal and Odisha and one each in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry are also on the list.