The Allahabad High Court has held that a university prescribing the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) as an eligibility requirement for PhD admission cannot be compelled to accept a Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) score as its substitute. The court dismissed a plea by a candidate who sought an opportunity to appear for a doctoral admission interview at Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University, Lucknow, despite not having a UGC NET score.According to a report by LiveLaw, the petition was filed by Aakash Narayan, who sought directions to the university to allow him to participate in the interview for admission to its PhD programme in Physics for the 2025-26 academic session.
Allahabad High Court rejects plea for PhD admission interview
The petitioner holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Astronomy from Osmania University. He approached a bench led by Justice Jaspreet Singh after the university did not call him for the doctoral admission interview because he did not possess a UGC NET score.Narayan argued that his JEST score should be considered in place of UGC NET for determining his eligibility for the PhD programme. He also sought admission to the programme and compensation of at least Rs 1 lakh, along with litigation costs.The university opposed the plea, stating that UGC NET had been prescribed as an eligibility criterion through a resolution dated October 26, 2024. The requirement was also incorporated into the eligibility conditions specified in the prospectus for the 2025-26 academic session.The university maintained that JEST was not among the examinations recognised under its admission criteria.
JEST score cannot be made mandatory for all universities
While dismissing the petition, the High Court observed that the fact that JEST is a national-level examination does not mean that every university or higher education institution must accept its score for PhD admissions.The court noted that an institution can prescribe eligibility criteria in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations. If a university has adopted UGC criteria for doctoral admissions, the requirement cannot be considered arbitrary or in violation of the relevant regulations merely because a candidate seeks recognition of another examination.“If the university has accepted the UGC criteria as eligibility, it cannot be said that the same is arbitrary or violative of any Rule or Regulations. The petitioner cannot insist that a particular university must accept JEST Score despite the fact that it may be a national level examination,” the court observed, as reported by LiveLaw.The court further clarified that a JEST score may be accepted as an additional qualification by certain higher education institutions. However, this does not establish an obligation for all universities to recognise it for admission to doctoral programmes.
University admission prospectus carries weight
The High Court took note of the fact that the university had formally adopted the eligibility requirement and published it in the admission prospectus for the relevant academic session.It held that the petitioner could not compel the institution to treat his JEST score as an alternative to UGC NET when the university’s prescribed admission conditions did not provide for such a substitution.The court also observed that specific directions could not be issued requiring an institution to accept JEST as a mandatory eligibility criterion for PhD admissions.
Court takes note of the year of JEST scorecard
The court additionally noted that the JEST scorecard submitted by the petitioner was from 2009. The observation formed part of the court’s consideration of the plea.The ruling reinforces the distinction between an examination’s national-level recognition and its acceptance under the admission rules of an individual university. Candidates seeking PhD admission must therefore check the eligibility conditions and recognised qualifying examinations specified in the prospectus of their preferred institution before applying.
