S BHARATHI Vs. BHARATHIYAR UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) These writ petitions at the instance of aspiring teachers, challenges the result of State Eligibility Test conducted by Bharathiyar University and the National Eligibility Test conducted by the University Grants Commission (hereinafter referred to as 'UGC') during the year 2012, primarily on the ground that the eligibility criteria was changed after conducting the qualifying examination for determining the eligibility for recruitment of lecturers in Universities and Colleges in the State of Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry. There are two sets of writ petitions. The first batch relates to the examination conducted by the UGC. The second batch relates to the examination conducted by Bharathiyar University.

(2.) Since the writ petitioners are aggrieved by the change in the qualifying criteria after conducting the test, I consider it not necessary to narrate the facts of individual writ petitions and the marks secured by the candidates in the qualifying test.

(3.) The UGC issued a notification in April 2012, calling for applications from eligible candidates for determining the eligibility of Indian Nationals for awarding Junior Research Fellowship and Eligibility for Lectureship in Indian Universities and Colleges. The UGC notified that the test would consist of three papers. All the three papers will be of objective type. Paper I shall be of general nature, intended to assess the teaching/research aptitude of the candidates. Paper II shall consist of 50 objective type compulsory questions based on the subject selected by the candidates. Paper HI will consist of 75 objective type compulsory questions from the subject selected by the candidate. Candidates are required to obtain minimum marks separately in Paper I, Paper II and Paper HI. The notification contains details of the minimum marks in Paper I, Paper II and Paper III. The UGC notified that only such candidates who secured the minimum required marks separately will be considered for final preparation of results. However, it was indicated that the final qualifying criteria for Junior Research Fellowship and Eligibility for Lectureship would be decided by UGC before declaration of results.