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AKHILESH RAWAT & ANR. vs JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY & ORS.

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$~22
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
+ W.P.(C) 4152/2022 and CM APPL.12432/2022, 18208/2022
AKHILESH RAWAT & ANR. ….. Petitioners
Through: Mr. Maanav Kumar, Ms. Priya Sahil and Ms. Shivangi Sharma, Advocates

versus

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY
& ORS. ….. Respondents
Through: Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mahapatra and Ms. Mrinmayee Sahu, Advocates
CORAM:
HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE C. HARI SHANKAR
O R D E R (ORAL)
% 29.02.2024

1. The petitioners are Ph.D. students with the Jawahar Nehru University (“JNU”). Their Ph.D. course was being supervised by Prof. Rajeev Kumar. By an e-mail dated 14 January 2022, the Chairperson, M.Tech/Ph.D. Coordination-cum-Advisory Committee of School of Computer and System Sciences (SC & SS), rejected the petitioners’ request for being permitted to pursue their Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Rajeev Kumar citing a circular dated 5 March 2018 issued by the JNU, whereby a teacher who was left with less than three years for superannuation could not be a Ph.D. supervisor.
2. The said letter has been called into challenge in this writ petition which seeks quashing thereof.
3. Both sides are ad idem that Prof. Rajeev Kumar has only a month left for superannuation.
4. Mr. Manav Kumar, learned counsel for the petitioners suggested that on the superannuation of Prof. Rajeev Kumar, Prof. D.K. Lobiyal, who is presently the co-supervisor of the petitioners, may be permitted to function as their supervisor. Mr. Mahapatra submits, on instructions, that the respondent is agreeable to the said request.
5. As such, this writ petition is disposed of by permitting Prof. D.K. Lobiyal, who is presently the co-supervisor of the petitioners to take over as the petitioners’ supervisor on the superannuation of Prof. Rajeev Kumar.
6. The court has, therefore, not entered into the merits of the controversy in the writ petition.
7. The petition stands disposed of in the aforesaid terms, with no order as to costs.

C.HARI SHANKAR, J
FEBRUARY 29, 2024/yg
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W.P.(C) 4152/2022 Page 1 of 9