JNU to Delhi High Court: Allocation of 100% PhD seats to JRF a "Well-Considered Policy"

In a filing to the Delhi High Court, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) stated that it is not in violation of any law in allocating 100% of PhD seats at seven centres to Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) candidates and that it is a "well-considered policy decision." The university said that JRF is one of the most prestigious fellowships awarded to candidates who qualify for an intense competitive examination conducted by the UGC at the national level and therefore, successful candidates have already proven acumen in their respective fields. “Allocation of 100 per cent PhD seats to JRF category candidates for the academic year 2021-22 in select centres in JNU is a well-considered policy decision made by the highest body of academic experts i.e the Academic Council in conformity with the UGC guidelines,” as stated in the JNU affidavit filed in response to a petition filed by Students' Federation of India (SFI) challenging the allocation. It is asserted that JNU is well within its power to formulate eligibility criteria for admission of candidates in accordance with requirements and in pursuit of excellence. As part of an ongoing effort to improve the educational environment and academic standards at JNU, JRF has been transformed into a benchmark for quality research work. Petition filed for political reasons JNU contends SFI's petition was filed primarily for political reasons, not to serve a proclaimed public interest; it alleges no violation of laws or regulations. “Petitioner is seeking to dilute a conscious practical decision taken by the highest body of the Respondent i.e the Academic Council and unnecessarily raking up a non-issue with electoral undercurrents being the sole motive,” the affidavit stated. This would jeopardise lakhs of aspirants' chances of getting into PhD programmes offered by other institutions, JNU argues. Since the nature of research is interdisciplinary, no candidate would be denied the opportunity to sit for an entrance examination for admission into PhD programmes offered by other institutions. Advocate Ashok Agarwal represented the SFI in the petition, which claims that seats for PhDs in seven departments of JNU were previously filled via both national college examinations for JRFs and entrance examinations for non-JRFs. But in the current academic year, the university decided in seven of the centres merely to fill all PhD seats with JRF candidates through its e-prospectus. This was illegal, arbitrarily, and unconstitutional. Centre for International Trade and Development; PhD in Human Rights Studies; Centre for English Studies; Centre for Indian Languages: PhD in Hindi, Urdu, and Hindi Translation; Centre for Study of Law and Governance; Special Centre for Systems Medicine; and Centre for Women Studies. On July 16, a bench led by Chief Justice DN Patel issued a notice in the PIL. After that, on August 20, the matter would be heard again.

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JNU to Delhi High Court: Allocation of 100% PhD seats to JRF a "Well-Considered Policy"

In a filing to Delhi HC, Jawaharlal Nehru University stated that it is not in violation of any law in allocating 100% PhD seats at 7 centres to JRF candidates.

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