Gangtok, June 29: The Government of Sikkim has formally established the Sikkim Private Universities Regulatory Commission (SPURC), a new statutory body mandated to oversee the performance and regulatory compliance of all private universities operating in the state.
The commission has been constituted under Section 7(1) of the Sikkim Private Universities (Establishment & Regulation) Act, 2025, which was notified through the Sikkim Government Gazette No. 01 dated January 6, 2026. The official notification, bearing No. 64/Home/2026 and dated June 26, 2026, was issued by Chief Secretary R. Telang, IAS, on behalf of the Governor of Sikkim.
The SPURC has been established with the primary mandate of monitoring compliance with all statutory provisions prescribed under the Act by private universities in the state.
Commission Members
The notification names the following individuals as members of the newly constituted commission:
1. Mrs. Ganga Devi Pradhan, daughter of the late Tulshi Prasad Pradhan and resident of Development Area, Gangtok District, has been appointed as Chairperson of the commission.
2. Shri Palden Dorjee Lama, son of the late Nima Dorjee Lama and resident of Dugalakha, Pakyong District, has been appointed as Member.
3. Shri Zigmee Bhutia, son of Shri Lha Tshering Bhutia, currently serving as Law Member Officer in the Education Department, has also been appointed as Member.
4. The Secretary (Higher Education), Education Department, Government of Sikkim, will serve as Member Secretary on an ex-officio basis.
The establishment of SPURC marks a significant step in Sikkim’s regulatory framework for private higher education, providing a dedicated institutional mechanism to ensure accountability and statutory compliance among private universities in the state.
