Commission joint secretary C P Srivastava said as per the University Grants Commission Act ``universities'' could be established through an Act of Central or State legislatures and no other organisation could use the word university. He said such bogus institutions could dupe a large number of students.

The institutions are: Maithili University/Vishwavidyalaya, Darbhanga, Bihar; Mahila Gram Vidyapith/Vishwavidyalaya (Women's University) Prayag, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh; Baranaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh/ Jagat Puri, Delhi; Commercial University Ltd, Daryaganj, Delhi;Indian Education Council of UP, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh; Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayag, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh; National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur; Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University Achaltal, Aligarh), Uttar Pradesh; D.D.B. Sanskrit University, Purur, Trichi, Tamil Nadu; Bharatiya Shiksha Parishad (UP) Open Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow, UP.; St. John's University, Kishanattam, Kerala; National University, Nagpur; United Nations University, Delhi; Vocational University, Delhi; Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi Kalan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh; Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh; Raja Arabic University, Nagpur and UrduUniversity, Motia Park, Bhopal.

The University Grants Commission has warned students and the academic community against dealing with such unrecognised institutions for pursuing academic studies degrees/diplomas. Appropriate action will be taken against institutions unauthorisedly using the word University/Vishwavidyalaya or issuing degrees, the University Grants Commission has warned in a statement issued here on Thursday.