How to get college permission to hold an event in India

There is no single national rule for this. Permission comes from your institution, and sometimes from your university or state government. Usually you send a written request to the Principal or Head of the Institution, route it through your staff advisor, and give enough notice. If the event is large, open to outsiders, or held in a public space, expect extra clearances such as police, fire and electricity approvals. Kerala's government order requires prior permission from the Head of the Institution [1]. A Mary Matha college rulebook requires the Principal's written permission for any celebration on campus [2]. The UGC guideline we reviewed covers seminars and workshops tied to UGC financial assistance. It does not cover general event permission [3].

What the rules look like in practice

Requirements vary a lot from one institution to the next. Here is how a few handle it:

Step-by-step route to approval

1. Ask your staff advisor who signs. In some colleges it is the Principal. In others it is the Dean of Student Affairs or the Dean of Students Welfare, as IIT Bombay and Wardha show [7][8]. Ask whether your university has its own rule on top of the college rule.

2. Decide whether the event is internal or open. Inviting students from other colleges or outsiders usually triggers a separate permission. The Mary Matha rulebook requires the Principal's permission for this [2]. Delhi University's advisory requires a police NOC where outside students are invited [5].

3. Plan for police, fire and electricity clearances if the event is large. The Delhi University advisory asks organisers to get permission from the electricity and fire departments as well [6]. It also calls for a security planning meeting before the event with fire, police, electricity, college security and any event management company involved [5]. If your event is small and indoors, your college may not ask for all of these. Ask rather than assume.

4. Submit the request in writing, with the basics. Include the date, venue, expected attendance, speakers, and who is responsible for the event. Keep a dated copy. A written approval is the record you will need if a question comes up later.

5. Control entry if the college requires it. The Delhi University advisory asks that registration forms include scanned copies of participants' college ID cards [5]. Your college may impose similar limits.

6. Start early. The Kerala order's five working days is a clear minimum for that state [1]. For anything bigger, allow a longer lead time. Our guide to planning a college fest works backwards from the event date, with registrations due four weeks out: How to organize a college fest: the 8-week checklist.

Political events and outside speakers

Permission gets harder when an event touches politics or controversial speakers. IIT Bombay's guidelines sort events into "purely non political" and "potentially political" categories. Protests need prior permission from both the institute and the local police [7]. For external speakers, IIT Bombay applies the same approval process as for other events, though the search snippet we could read suggests purely non-political talks may be exempt [7].

A permission decision can also become a public argument. In 2024, a student group at Delhi University's Kirori Mal College protested an RSS event and questioned whether the college had been asked for permission [9]. If your event could be seen as political, get permission in writing before you publicise it, not after.

Check whether the rule is still current

Many of the rules that are easy to find are older or specific to one place. The Delhi University advisory was issued in October 2022 after an incident at Miranda House. Check whether it still applies to your college's administration [4]. The Wardha order is from April 2025, and student groups there objected to it as a restriction on freedom of expression. Policies like this are contested, not settled [8]. Your college's current notice board or the Principal's office is the only reliable source for your event.

Our view

Our view: Get the permission in writing even when the rule seems informal or nobody has asked for it before. A short email to the staff advisor, copied to the office that signs, gives you a dated record. It costs little, and it protects the organising team if a complaint or a security question arises after the event.

Limitations of this advice

This guidance is built from the rules we could find, and those are uneven. We found no national UGC or AICTE rule that sets a general permission process for student fests. The procedure depends on your institution, university and state [3]. Many of the sources come from specific colleges or states, and some are older advisories. We could read only the search snippet of the IIT Bombay guideline, not the full document [7]. Your college may have a rule that none of these sources mention. Unifesto does not decide approvals and does not replace the college's process.

How Unifesto Orbit fits in

Unifesto Orbit places one Orbit Lead per campus. The Orbit Lead represents Unifesto, not the college, and helps every club on campus run its events on Unifesto. The approval itself stays with your college. An Orbit Lead can help you set up the event on the platform while you handle the permission route described above. You can read about the role in Introducing Unifesto Orbit, or see the programme on the Orbit page.

FAQ

Do I need police permission for every college event?

Not necessarily. The Delhi University advisory says no event may be held without police permission. If there is no time, organisers must give the local police station at least one day's prior intimation [4]. Ask your college whether its own rule or the local police require it for your event.

Who signs off on a student event, the Principal or the Dean?

It depends on the institution. The Kerala order and the Mary Matha rulebook point to the Head of the Institution or the Principal [1][2]. IIT Bombay and Wardha route approval through the Dean of Student Affairs or the Dean Students Welfare [7][8]. Ask your staff advisor which office is responsible.

How much notice should I give?

The Kerala order requires communication through the staff advisor at least five working days in advance [1]. For a larger or multi-day event, give more time than that minimum, and ask your college what it expects.

Can I invite students from other colleges?

Yes, but usually only with extra permission. The Mary Matha rulebook requires the Principal's permission to invite outsiders or students from other institutions [2]. Delhi University's advisory requires a police NOC where outside students are invited [5].

Sources

1. G.O.(Ms)No.252/2024/HEDN Dated,Thiruvananthapuram, 09-04-2024: https://kpcma.org/admin_dashboard/mic_documents/GO%20252%20-%20TECHFEST.pdf
2. college-rules.pdf: https://marymathacollege.ac.in/public/img/college-rules.pdf
3. GUIDELINES FOR ORGANISING CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS IN COLLEGES: https://www.ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/8622597_Guideline_Seminars.pdf
4. DU issues guidelines for all colleges, departments for events, fests: https://news.careers360.com/delhi-university-issues-guidelines-for-all-colleges-departments-for-events-fests/amp
5. Trusted Source Image: https://news.careers360.com/du-makes-it-mandatory-colleges-get-police-permission-hold-fests-ipcw-fest-ruckus
6. DU issues new guidelines for college events, says fests 'should not be open for all': https://theprint.in/india/education/du-issues-new-guidelines-for-college-events-says-fests-should-not-be-open-for-all/1185535/
7. Interim Guidelines on Holding of Events at IIT Bombay Nov 14, 2023 Preamble: https://www.iitb.ac.in/sites/www.iitb.ac.in/files/2024-03/Event%20Policies%20Interim%20Guidelines.pdf
8. MGAHV Wardha bans student-led events without prior permission; must fulfill two conditions: https://news.careers360.com/mgahv-wardha-bans-student-led-events-without-prior-permission-must-fulfill-two-conditions-freedom-of-expression/amp
9. Trusted Source Image: https://news.careers360.com/students-body-protests-at-dus-kirori-mal-college-against-rss-event-on-campus