HC Directs Delhi University to Admit Differently-Abled Ph. D Candidate
The court also ordered that the differently-abled petitioner is entitled to the cost, i.e., Rs. 10,000 which has to be paid by the respondents.
The High Court of Delhi directed Delhi University to grant admission to a Ph. D candidate who comes under PWD category. The petitioner has 77% disability in his lower limbs and was denied admission to Ph. D in Buddhist Studies even though he secured qualifying marks in the entrance examination. The court found that the admission of criteria of Delhi University is 'unsustainable' and directed the varsity to grant admission to the Ph. D candidate.
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The court also ordered that the petitioner is entitled to cost, i.e., Rs. 10,000 which has to be paid by the respondents.
The entrance examination for Ph. D courses was held on July 12, 2016. A total number of 47 students qualified in the examination out of which 17 students belong to General category, 16 students belonging to SC, four students of ST category and nine students belonging to Backward category. The petitioner was the only one student who qualified under the PWD category. It was just a written examination, and the candidates need to qualify the interview too.
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As per Ph.D admission norms of Delhi University, the written examination is for 100 marks and 50 marks for the interview. Out of 50 marks, 25 marks for topic representation and 25 marks for personal interview. As per the response that was given by the varsity, the petitioner secured 61 marks out of 100 in the written test but secured only two marks in interview. He secured a total of 63 marks out of 150, and 70 marks are required for granting admission.
However, the petitioner claimed that the varsity had granted to a student under General category even though he secured only 63 marks. After observing the selection committee's minutes, the court declared that varsity had granted admission to some of the students who scored 63 marks in the examination under General category.