Chandigarh, Aug. 18 -- In a decision that has brought all 18 private universities in Punjab under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the Punjab State Information Commission has ruled that private universities established through Acts of the state legislature are "public authorities" under the transparency law.

Passing an order on August 14 in the case of Akal University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, chief information commissioner Inderpal Singh declared the university a public authority under Section 2 (h) of the RTI Act and directed it to appoint a public information officer (PIO) and first appellate authority (FAA). The university has also been directed to make mandatory disclosures prescribed under the Act on its offic...