The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has declared that the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degrees and Diploma in the field of Engineering and Technology awarded by the  Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) up to 2011-2012 academic session to be treated as valid. The IGNOU was offering the two courses through distance learning, however, the courses were discontinued after the University Grants Commission (UGC) said they are in violation of norms and technical courses cannot be offered through distance learning mode.

"IGNOU was conducting the two courses through distance learning mode and litigation were going on in various courts regarding the validity of these courses. In 2018, the Supreme Court recognised the validity of Diploma and B.Tech degrees awarded by IGNOU to candidates who were enrolled up to the academic year 2009-10," an order issued by the Policy and Academic Planning Bureau of the technical education regulator said.

It said that the apex court has now granted some relief to petitioners from the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic sessions and opined that since there is no distance education course in IGNOU in the said subject after these years and these are the last batches who will be granted the reliefs.

"The AICTE has no objection for B.Tech degree and Diploma in Engineering awarded by IGNOU to the students who were enrolled up to academic year 2011-12 with IGNOU as per Supreme Court judgement and hence are treated as valid as a special case but cannot be taken as precedence and not for post 2012," the AICTE added.