Malla Reddy group always mired in controversies

HYDERABAD: The Malla Reddy group of educational institutions, run by family members of minister Chamakura Malla Reddy, has been embroiled in numerous controversies since its inception in 2004.

The group was accused of soliciting large donations, charging capitation fees for seat allocation for management quota students in professional colleges, and submitting fake documents in order to secure NAAC accreditation.

The Malla Reddy College of Engineering (MRCE), Kompally, was blacklisted for five years by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in December 2020, citing “the certificates purportedly given by BHEL, Yash Technologies and Airtel, appear to be fabricated in layer, particularly with regard to the aspects of seal, signature and letterhead".  Later, the college reapplied for accreditation.

Following complaints of irregularities in management quota admissions, the state governments in Undivided AP ordered several probes against the group between 2004 and 2014, but no action was taken. The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) has formed an investigation committee to look into irregularities in management quota admissions in the Malla Reddy group between 2009 and 2012. To combat this threat, the APSCHE implemented an online admission system for management quota admissions in all professional colleges across the state in 2011.

Even after that, the group was accused of blocking management quota seats with meritorious students who did not take up the seats after being allocated, which were later allocated by management to students of their choice.

It may be noted that the group runs a network of engineering, medical, nursing, pharmacy, management, and other professional colleges, as well as a private university, schools, and colleges. The educational institutions spread over hundreds of acres in Medchal, Malkajgiri district are named after C.Malla Reddy or CMR, and the group is considered to be Telangana's largest private education group, with nearly 50,000 students on its rolls.