Petition Filed In Orissa HC Challenging PhD Admission Procedure At Utkal University

A Petition has been filed before the Orissa High Court challenging the selection procedure adopted by Utkal University for admissions to their PhD course 2016-17.The Petition, filed by one Mr. Vikash Kumar, has demanded that the merit list for admissions be cancelled and a revised merit list be published by the University. He alleges that the procedure, as published in the advertisement, was different from the one actually adopted by the University.Mr. Kumar had obtained the 4th position among the candidates who had applied for the course, if the marks for the written exam and the viva voce were both considered for preparation of the merit list. He, however, did not make it to the list of the selected candidates, as the marks for the viva voce were made the sole consideration for selection.Mr. Kumar has further brought to the notice of the Court that the University had, at several occasions, turned down his plea for disclosure of the marks. A complete list was provided to him only on a second RTI application.Through a subsequent RTI, he was informed that the written test was only a qualifying step, and that the viva voce would be the basis of preparation of the merit list. This was contrary to what was prescribed by the admission notification issued by the University. Such discrepancy, Mr. Kumar has submitted, is “against the principle of natural justice and spirit of Constitutional protection provided under Article 14 and 16”. “… it is quite evident that the selection process of the Department of Business Administration (MBA) for PhD 2016 coursework was unfair, opaque and unlawful… The persistent denial of O.P.-1 and O.P.-2 have caused irreparable humiliation and harassment over the period to the petitioner and facilitated safeguard to the perpetrators though it is visible from the fact that the selection criteria considered by the Department of Business Administration in preparation of Merit list for PhD 2016- 17 coursework in Management paper has no resemblance with the selection criteria notified by the University i.r.t. PhD 2016-17 Admission test,” he further submits, demanding that the documents related to the marks obtained by all candidates in the written exam as well as the viva-voce be provided to him.Read the Petition Here

Petition Filed In Orissa HC Challenging PhD Admission Procedure At Utkal University

Apoorva Mandhani

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