IIPM's Unrecognised Degrees

“Dare to Think Beyond the IIMs.”

— Arindam Chaudhuri / Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), Founder and dean, IIPM · 1 January 2005

This was IIPM's long-running national advertising tagline, used across print and outdoor campaigns for its management programmes over roughly two decades; the exact first-use date is approximate.

That a student paying for and completing IIPM's flagship management programme would receive a degree or diploma recognised by India's higher-education regulators (UGC for university degrees, AICTE for technical/management education), on a par with the IIMs the advertising invited comparison with.

The UGC Act, 1956 and AICTE regulations, under which only recognised universities or AICTE-approved institutions may award degrees or diplomas described as equivalent to a degree.

In force from 1 January 2005

IIPM was never granted university status by UGC nor approval by AICTE to award MBA, BBA, or BCA degrees, a position UGC repeated in public notices for years, including reiterating as late as 2013 that IIPM could not confer MBA degrees. IIPM instead awarded its own diplomas while its marketing associated the institute with the credibility of a foreign-sounding affiliation to the 'International Management Institute, Belgium' — which a Delhi High Court PIL hearing in September 2014 found had itself been set up by Arindam Chaudhuri and his father, Malay Chaudhuri, and was not recognised under Belgian law either. The Delhi High Court censured IIPM and Chaudhuri for misleading students, and the UGC's complaint led Delhi Police to register an FIR against Chaudhuri and his father under IPC Section 420 (cheating). Chaudhuri was separately arrested in 2018 in a ₹23 crore tax evasion case linked to the institute's finances. IIPM shut down operations around 2015–2016 after the sustained legal and regulatory pressure and declining enrolment.

As of 1 January 2018

1. 1 Jan 2005Announcement
   IIPM's 'Beyond the IIMs' campaign runs nationally

   Full-page ads position IIPM's management programmes as superior alternatives to India's premier, UGC/AICTE-recognised business schools.

2. 1 Jan 2013Status
   UGC reiterates IIPM cannot award MBAs

   UGC publicly restates that IIPM is not a recognised university and cannot confer MBA, BBA, or BCA degrees.

3. 1 Jun 2013Milestone
   UGC and AICTE file complaints against IIPM

   Both regulators list IIPM among institutions found to be operating without valid recognition.

4. 1 Sept 2014Milestone
   Delhi High Court censures IIPM over foreign-affiliation claims

   Court finds IIPM's claimed Belgian affiliate was set up by Chaudhuri and his father and was not itself recognised under Belgian law.

5. 1 Jan 2016Status
   IIPM ceases operations

   The institute shuts down amid sustained regulatory pressure, litigation, and falling enrolment; exact closure date is approximate.

6. 1 Jan 2018Milestone
   Arindam Chaudhuri arrested in ₹23 crore tax evasion case

   Arrest is linked to IIPM's financial affairs, separate from the accreditation allegations.

An FIR under IPC Section 420 (cheating) was registered against Arindam Chaudhuri and Malay Chaudhuri following a UGC complaint alleging IIPM misled and cheated students about its recognition. Chaudhuri was separately arrested in 2018 in a tax evasion case tied to IIPM's finances. This entry has not found a reported final criminal conviction specifically on the cheating/misrepresentation allegations, and IIPM itself ceased operating before any such case appears to have concluded.

• This entry has not reviewed the FIR, the FIR's final disposition, or the Delhi High Court's 2014 order directly — it relies on news reporting summarising each.
• The precise date IIPM ceased operations is not confirmed and is given here as approximate.
• It is not established from available reporting how many total students enrolled in IIPM's unrecognised programmes over its operating history, or what refunds or compensation, if any, were awarded to them.