JOIN US"The university should file an affidavit regarding the criteria required for pursuing PhD in the condition the applicant is working," a bench comprising chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said directing DU to file the affidavit by September 27.
The direction of the court came on a plea of Metropolitan Magistrate Twinkle Wadhwa who has challenged the regulation of the university that allows its teachers to pursue a PhD without taking study leave but prohibits a judicial officer from doing the same.
Wadhwa's counsel said it was arbitrary to prohibit a magistrate from pursuing a PhD degree who was ready to devote full time to the course while she is in service.
However, the university, citing the regulations of the University Grant Commission (UGC), said since PhD is a full- time course, a student interested in pursuing it would have to take study leave to fully concentrate on the course.
Earlier, the UGC had defended the rule saying that it was meant for maintaining the academic standard.
Wadhwa filed the petition after Delhi University (DU) refused to allow her to pursue a PhD course as she was employed as a Metropolitan Magistrate. While declining the permission, DU had asked her to take study leave for two years for doing so.
The Magistrate sought quashing the regulation and a direction to the university to consider her application for enrolment to the the PhD course.