Sirsa-Fatehabad students take fight for PhD opportunities to High Court

The struggle of students, especially young women from Haryana’s rural districts of Sirsa and Fatehabad, to pursue higher education has reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A Division Bench of the High Court has issued a notice to Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, asking why it has not implemented the University Grants Commission (UGC) PhD Regulations, 2022. The court has sought a reply by December 16.

The petition argues that the delay in implementing the UGC rules is denying hundreds of students particularly women, the chance to pursue PhD studies within their own districts.

According to the UGC’s 2022 regulations, regular teachers in affiliated colleges who hold PhD degrees and have sufficient research publications can be recognised as PhD supervisers. However, the CDLU has not adopted these norms and has refused to grant superviser recognition to the college teachers. Advocate Utkarsh Sheoran, representing the petitioners, said out of the university’s 29 departments, only 16 offer PhD seats at present. Two of these departments have zero seats available for Indian students. Due to faculty shortages and the non-implementation of the UGC rules, the total number of PhD seats has dropped to less than half of what it could be.

Sheoran said the issue went beyond regulations- it was about the future of the youth and the dreams of daughters from Haryana’s rural regions. “When other state universities have implemented the UGC rules, why should the students in Sirsa be left behind?” he asked, adding that the Constitution ensures equal access to education for all.

the petitioner’s counsel, advocate Sanowar Kaswan, said the students from remote villages, who continued their studies despite limited resources, only sought one thing an opportunity to move forward and build their identity. In response, CDLU Vice-Chancellor Professor Vijay Kumar said the university was following the prescribed rules in the PhD admission process. “This time, only permanent professors are being allowed to supervise PhD scholars, not contractual assistant professors,” he explained.

He added that the university had sought reports from affiliated colleges to verify whether teachers willing to supervise research had adequate facilities. “A three-member committee will examine the reports and take a decision accordingly,” he said, adding that PhD admissions will reopen in January.