New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- The Supreme Court on Friday said private universities must serve the larger public purpose of education and not operate for profit, directing states and Union territories to submit audited accounts detailing their surplus income, expenditure, fee collection and employee salaries, along with information on admissions, recruitment and teaching standards in six weeks. The bench of justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and NV Anjaria said, "It is for the public at large that the system operates, especially in matters concerning education. We make it clear that no private university shall be run as a profit-making institution. It must serve the larger public purpose of education," as it issued a slew of directions for the states and UTs to comply with. The orders were passed in a matter concerning Amity University, where a student was harassed for seeking a change of name in college records. Taking up the matter last year, the court passed sweeping orders in November 2025, directing states and UTs to provide details of how the universities were created, the benefits extended to them, and the regulatory framework to ensure they adhere to a "no profit no loss" mandate. The court felt the need to issue further orders, saying, "These institutions cannot be allowed to operate as an industry for profiteering alone," as it directed states and UTs to provide details of fees collected from students at the time of admission and during the tenure of the course under various heads, the boards responsible for recruiting teaching and non-teaching staff, their salaries and emoluments, and their service conditions.P4...