Madras High Court today upheld a state government decision to disqualify candidates who had obtained their M.Phil and Ph.D degrees through distance education or open universities from applying for assistant professor posts in government colleges.
A Division Bench, comprising Justices R Banumathi and T S Sivagnanam, dismissed a petition filed by former professor I Elangovan, who had challenged the government notification.
"Based on opinions of academicians to upkeep the standards in higher education, if the government has taken a decision, the court cannot interfere with it. We do not find any infirmities in the UGC Regulations or any other statutory provision, warranting the quashing of the order," they said.
The Teachers Recruitment Board in the state has already commenced the selection process to recruit 1,093 assistant professors for various colleges run by the government. While the sale of applications started on June 19, the last date for submissions of the filled in application forms has been extended upto July 26.
The selection scheme notified by the Board has made it clear that those who had obtained M.Phil and Ph.D degrees through correspondence/distance education or open university mode would not be eligible to apply for the posts.
The petitioner submitted that the degree certificates and mark sheets issued by the universities concerned for their regular and distance education mode are one and same.
"There is no indication in these degree certificates and mark sheets that they are in respect of regular course of study or distance education mode," he contended.
The petitioner contended that the impugned notification had been issued without jurisdiction and against the UCG Regulations and prayed for its quashing and permitting these candidates to participate in the recruitment process.
