SAGUNA CHADHA Vs. PANJAB UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ petition was dismissed by us on January 8, 1997, and it was observed that the reasons thereof would be recorded later on. We proceed to give reasons.

(2.) The point that calls for determination in this case is that in the absence of a fixed date indicated in the advertisement or Rules or Regulations, what should be the date for seeing eligibility of the candidates who may apply for a particular post ? According to the petitioner, it should be the date of selection and according to the respondent-University it should be the last date for making the application for the post mentioned in the advertisement.

(3.) Briefly, the facts of the case may be noticed. The respondent-Panjab University had issued an advertisement in the Daily Tribune of February 13, 1995, inviting applications for various posts including one for Lecturer in Mass Communication. The last date for submission of the applications was March 10, 1995. Apart from other qualifications with which we are not concerned, the candidate applying for the post of Lecturer in Mass Communication was required to have M. Phil./Ph.D. degree and those who did not have that degree, were required to have qualified the National Education Test (in short N.E.T.) conducted by the University Grants Commission (in short U.G.C.). The petitioner did not have M. Phil./Ph.D. degree. He had appeared in the N.E.T. conducted by the U.G.C. in December, 1994, but her result had not been declared by May 10, 1995, the last date for submission of the application. Her result was declared on July 7, 1995, and the same was communicated to the University on July 13, 1995. The date for interview was fixed as September 14, 1995, but the petitioner was not called for interview, precisely on the ground that she did not have one of the requisite qualifications till the last date for submission of the application. This led the petitioner to file the present writ petition.