MEDHAVI KRISHNA Vs. UNIVERSITY OF DELHI AND ORS

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present petition has been filed by the petitioner with the following prayers:-

(2.) It is contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner that the petitioner is a physically challenged person and the disability has been assessed at 77% in both his lower limbs. On May 13, 2016 the respondents have started online registration for the admission to the M.Phil/Ph.D programmes for various departments and last date was May 31, 2016. The petitioner having fulfilled the minimum eligibility criteria for admission got himself successfully registered during the said period for pursuing Ph.D programme in Department of Buddist Studies, Faculty of Arts.

(3.) It is his case that the total number of seats available for the Ph.D programme in this Department are 14. On June 23, 2016, he appeared in a written examination conducted by the University. He secured 61 marks in terms of the result published by the respondents on July 12, 2016. It is averred that 47 candidates were declared qualified in the result out of which 17 candidates belonged to General category, 9 candidates belonged to OBC category, 16 candidates belonged to SC category, 4 candidates belonged to ST category. It is his case, that he was the only candidate who qualified the written examination in the PWD category. As he was successful in the written examination, which was qualifying in nature, he was called for interview on July 27, 2016. The respondents declared the final merit list of successful candidates on August 30, 2016. A total of 20 candidates, 12 under Category-I and 8 under Category-II were declared successful under various categories of reservation. However, no admission was granted under PWD category, for which the petitioner was the only contender. Being aggrieved by his non-inclusion under the PWD category, he, on August 30, 2016 preferred representations to the Vice- Chancellor, OSD Admissions and Research Council, University of Delhi. He made representations to the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Head of Department of (Buddhist Studies) on August 31, 2016 and September 1, 2016 respectively. Finding, no response, he preferred a representation to the Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities on September 5, 2016. However, till the filing of the petition, no relief was granted to him.