DU asked to consider woman magistrate's plea for Ph.D admission

Updated on: Wednesday, February 01, 2012

The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi University to consider a woman metropolitan magistrate's application for pursuing a Ph.D course without insisting upon her to secure two-year study leave from her job.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw issued the direction to the University's Academic Council on a plea by Metropolitan Magistrate Twinkle Wadhwa, complaining that the university had rejected her application for admission to the Ph.D course.

She said the varsity had dismissed her application on the ground that she had been earlier denied the study leave for two years by the high court and in such a scenario it would not be feasible for her to pursue the course.

The bench, however, asked the University Academic Council to consider Wadhwa's plea for admission, pointing out that if the university could allow its teachers to pursue a Ph.D course without them actually taking a leave, why should it prohibit a judicial officer from doing so.

"We command the Academic Council to take appropriate decision for this purpose. The Faculty of Law shall forward the case of petitioner (Wadhwa) to be placed before Academic Council which would take the decision on the request of Wadhwa for waiver under the clause within two months," said the high court.

It said the relevant university rules allow it to relax the two-year study leave requirement for working people to pursue the Ph.D course.

Wadhwa had moved the court after the University refused to allow her to pursue the Ph.D course on topic "Validity of Pre-nuptial contracts-A comprehensive study" in 2009 on the ground that she was not able to secure the requisite study leave.

DU asked to consider woman magistrate's plea for Ph.D admission

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