Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on Saturday ordered the Punjab Advocate General to furnish all records pertaining to the number of private universities in the province and their affiliated colleges, their fee structures and other operational details, DawnNewsTV reported.

The decision was taken during a hearing at the Supreme Court's Lahore registry in connection with a petition submitted by students of a college affiliated with the University of South Asia. The students had complained that they were not being provided with a degree even after the completion of their programme.

Nisar stated that all universities to have opened campuses in violation of any laws will have criminal cases registered against them.

Also read: I’m a professor and here’s how Pakistani public universities fabricate research degrees

An officer of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) was also present during the hearing of the case.

"The University of South Asia has maintained affiliations with colleges without permission," the HEC representative informed the court.

"A degree document is insufficient; teachers are vital for any institution. Otherwise, the degree is simply a parchment of paper," the HEC official said.

To this, the chief justice responded by saying: "I will see now who will obtain bail for whom. This is an act of fraud. They have wreaked havoc with the education system."

The chief justice at the start of the year had outlined the Supreme Court’s agenda for 2018, saying that the court would be focusing on human rights issues, particularly those relating to the people’s right to quality education and healthcare.