DR SHRADDHA PAL vs JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY & ORS.

Judgment text excerpt

$~65 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Decided on: 24.02.2025 + W.P.(C) 2218/2025, CM APPL. 10418/2025 & CM APPL. 10419/2025 DR SHRADDHA PAL .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Ashish Mohan, Sr. Advocate with Mr. Saimon Farooqui, Advocate with petitioner in person. versus JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Vasanth Rajasekaran, Sr. Standing Counsel, JNU & Mr. Harshvardhan Korada, Advocates. CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE PRATEEK JALAN PRATEEK JALAN, J. (ORAL): 1. The petitioner is a candidate for appointment to the post of Associate Professor in Centre of Russian Studies [“CRS”], under the Other Backward Classes–Non-Creamy Layer [“OBC-NCL”] category, in the respondent-University, pursuant to an Advertisement bearing No. RC/71/2024 issued in March 2024. 2. By way of present petition, under Article 226 of the Constitution, the petitioner seeks cancellation of the candidature of a rival candidate bearing application No. bearing 2300060624 [hereinafter, “Dr. X”], on the contention that he was ineligible, due to his failure to submit a valid OBC-NCL certificate before the last date of submission of applications. Dr. X has not been impleaded in the present petition; the petitioner has stated that she does not know his name or contact details. W.P.(C) 2218/2025 Page 1 of 12 3. I have heard Mr. Ashish Mohan, learned Senior Counsel for the petitioner, and Mr. Vasanth Rajasekaran, learned Standing Counsel for the respondent-University. 4. The advertisement deals with recruitment for posts of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors in different Schools and Centres of the respondent-University. Various educational and experience qualification criteria are stipulated with regard to each post. 5. One of the advertised posts is that of Assoc