New Delhi, July 1 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of "fake" universities in the country at eight, followed by six in Delhi, the University Grants Commission (UGC) said on Wednesday. It said the country has 21 such bogus universities.

There was a university in Lucknow whose matter is being heard before court, the officials said.

According the the UGC website, the Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Jagatpuri; Commercial University Ltd., Daryaganj; United Nations University; Vocational University; ADR-Centric Juridical University, Rajendra Place; and Indian Institute of Science and Engineering were notified as fake universities in Delhi.

The list includes one institution each in Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

UGC secretary Jaspal Singh Sandhu in a notification said that according to the UGC Act, 1956, only a university established by a central/state/provincial legislation or an institution deemed to be university under Section 3A or an institution especially empowered by an act of parliament was allowed to confer UGC-specified degrees.

"Section 23 of the UGC Act prohibits the use of word 'university' by any institution other than an established university."

"Therefore, students and public at large are hereby informed that such 21 self-styled and unrecognised institutions, functioning in contravention of the UGC Act are declared as fake, and are not entitled to confer any degrees," the notice said.