Row over PhD admissions at MDU, Rohtak

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, March 10

Admission made to PhD (Economics) at the Centre of Professional and Allied Studies (CPAS) of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) has sparked a controversy. Aspiring research scholars have alleged that despite being eligible, they were denied a chance to appear in the interview.

As per the sources, majority of members of the admissions committee at the Department of Economics at the university have refused to sign the official document pertaining to PhD admissions, alleging irregularities in the selection process.

“Despite irregularities in the selection process, the university is going ahead with the admissions,” sources said.

Aggrieved students pointed out that they had applied for admission to the PhD course at portal of the department, but were not called for interview even after qualifying the entrance exam.

Sources maintained that only those who had applied for admission on the CPAS portal were called for interviews, while candidates, who applied on the portal of the parent department, were left out.

The left out students have complained to the university authorities, alleging injustice.

Several faculty members, on the condition of anonymity, at the department also conceded that the students, who had qualified the entrance exam, had been denied their right to be called for interview.

They maintained that though the PhD seats offered by the department were under a faculty member serving at the CPAS, the students who had applied at the parent department’s portal should have also been considered and called for interviews.

Students should have been careful: Dean

• The Dean (Academic Affairs) at MDU, Prof Nov Rattan Sharma, said many students had applied for admission to the PhD course at department(s) where there were no seats, and hence, they could not be called for interviews
• “Students should have been more careful while submitting their online applications,” he said