HC faults Kakatiya University in Ph.D admissions

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Saturday found fault with the Kakatiya University for denying part-time PhD admissions to government lecturers even after they had obtained a no-objection certificate to pursue higher studies. The court was also irked by the university for raising litigations on small issues and coming to the court on irrational technicalities.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji was hearing an appeal by the Kakatiya University, which had challenged the order of a single judge who had allowed a government lecturer to pursue PhD under Category-1, which is for candidates who have been awarded Junior Research Fellowship through UGC, CSIR or ICAR, among others.

Jala Sri Lakshmi, degree college lecturer in a social welfare school, had been shortlisted for admission in a PhD programme under Category-1 in Kakatiya University, and paid the fee after the the admission committee had verified and cleared her certificates. However, after some time, the university denied her admission, stating that the petitioner was not a regular employee.

The Kakatiya University in its notification had mentioned that candidates admitted under Category-1 must be full-time employees. Regular teachers of government degree, PG or university colleges, who get seat in this category may be allowed to do PhD on part-time up to 25 per cent of seats based on merit, subject to production of no objection certificate from the employer.

The single judge, after verification of the salary certificate and service record of Sri Lakshmi, confirmed that she was a full- time employee and directed the university to allow her to pursue her PhD course.

Kakatiya University filed an appeal before the division bench, challenging the single judge orders.

The division bench headed by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan expressed anguish over this action of the authorities of the Kakatiya University and observed that it is making unnecessary litigation without mind. How the university denied the admission, once the candidate was declared eligible for admission and received the fee, the court asked.