The Delhi High Court has ruled that Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) cannot revoke a candidate’s PhD on the grounds of unavailability of supervisors and cannot instruct the candidate to find their own supervisor. Justice C Hari Shankar deemed the university’s directive as unlawful, emphasizing that it contradicts Ordinance 6.1.
The case involved Nazar Mohammad Mohaideen S, a PhD scholar at JNU’s Special Centre for Molecular Medicine (SCMM). His supervisor, Professor Shailja Singh, declined to oversee Mohaideen’s PhD, alleging his lack of dedication to assignments and late-night lab visits with unfamiliar individuals, posing a security risk. Subsequently, JNU informed Mohaideen that due to the absence of an alternative supervisor, he could no longer pursue his studies at SCMM.
Upon receiving the university’s notification, Mohaideen sought recourse in the high court. In its verdict, the court granted relief to Mohaideen, subject to his adherence to JNU’s disciplinary standards and avoidance of actions that could provoke grievances from his newly appointed supervisor. The court further stated that any misconduct on Mohaideen’s part, substantiated by credible evidence, would lead to the annulment of the relief granted by the judgment, reinstating the university’s initial decision from October 4, 2023. Additionally, the petitioner agreed to be supervised by Prof. Shailja Singh herself and committed to maintaining behavior that would not give rise to future complaints from her.
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