SEEMA KUMARI Vs. JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ petition has been filed by the petitioner seeking a direction to the respondents to give admission to her for undertaking the direct Ph.D. programme in the Group of Comparative Politics and Political Theory in the School of International Studies of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. In the alternative, the petitioner seeks a direction to the University to grant her extension of time to enable her to complete her remaining research/Ph.D. on the ground that she has completed substantial portion of the work.

(2.) So far as the factual matrix is concerned, there is no real dispute. It has been contended that in the year 1996, the petitioner was successful in qualifying the entrance test and got herself enrolled for the M.Phil. programme in the South Asia Division, i.e., Centre for South Central Sought East Asian and South West Pacific Studies in the School of International Studies of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. She completed her M.Phil in the year 1998 under the supervision of Professor Kalim Bahadur with the topic for dissertation being "Womens Movement in Pakistan, period 1977 to 1997". Thereafter, the petitioner applied for admission to the Ph.D. Programme. Her admission was confirmed in the Ph.D. course beginning from the monsoon semester starting with effect from August, 1998. As per the applicable Ordinance, a candidate is required to submit his/her synopsis within six months and to complete Ph.D. within four years. However, the petitioner took a period of two and a half years to submit her synopsis which was approved on 20th March, 2001.

(3.) According to the respondents, Professor Kalim Bahadur was to retire in June, 2001 under whom the petitioner had pursued her M. Phil. programme. On account of his impending retirement, in the case of the petitioner, two guides were appointed for her Ph.D. thesis, namely Dr. Savita Pandey and Dr. Kalim Bahadur.