AICTE approval is mandatory for university to run technical program?

Yes, the university must obtain recognition from the All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) to offer technical as well as management courses. Universities that are recognized by the AICTE cannot offer technical and management courses. Before taking admission to a technical or management course in any university you must check its UGC approval and AICTE recognition. 

Central, State and Private Universities are never required to have approval of AICTE merely to operate technical courses in regular (on-campus) mode. But these universities have to follow the standards and norms of AICTE in the conduct of technical courses. When the university wants to run technical courses in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode or On-line mode, or when the university requires the benefits of the AICTE offers like scholarship to the students, then it must get the approval of the AICTE.

In the case of affiliated colleges (not university), the AICTE approval is compulsory to run technical programs. In a nutshell, regular technical programs in the university do not require mandatory AICTE approval but are bound to AICTE norms and ODL/Online technical programs, however, require approval.