Shimla, Jan 22,
The Himachal Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the PhD admission process at the University Institute of Technology (UIT), a constituent department of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU). The allegations, which sparked concern, claim that a government employee without the requisite fellowship was granted admission in violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) norms.
The issue came to light after a complaint was lodged with the Chief Minister’s helpline, prompting the government to direct the university to investigate the matter and take appropriate action. The controversy centers around the PhD admissions conducted in November 2024 across 28 departments of HPU. While 27 departments reportedly adhered to UGC norms and admitted only candidates holding national-level fellowships such as JRF, UIT allegedly admitted a candidate without a fellowship.
Also read Violation of Norms? HPU’s UIT faces scrutiny over PhD admission
According to UGC guidelines, PhD admissions in such cases must be restricted to candidates who are actively receiving fellowships. In this instance, no entrance examination was conducted, as the process was exclusively intended for fellowship holders. The complainant alleged that UIT violated these regulations by granting admission to a government employee without a fellowship, raising questions about the department’s adherence to admission criteria.
The Dean of Studies at HPU, Prof. BK Shivram, provided a clarification regarding the matter. He stated that no admission had been finalized in UIT as of now. The application in question is still under review by the department’s Standing Committee. The UIT Director has been tasked with presenting all relevant facts to the Standing Committee, which will examine the complaint and review the admission in accordance with established norms. If the committee finds the admission to be in violation of regulations, the application will be rejected outright.
The case has drawn attention due to its potential implications for the transparency and fairness of the university’s admission process. HPU has been operating under UGC guidelines that mandate strict compliance with fellowship-based admissions for PhD programs. This controversy has not only questioned the integrity of the UIT’s procedures but also highlighted the need for stringent enforcement of admission norms across all departments of the university.
The Himachal Pradesh government’s swift intervention and the directive for an inquiry underscore the seriousness of the allegations. The complainant’s claims, combined with the reported ambiguity in UIT’s admission process, have sparked a debate about the accountability of public educational institutions in ensuring equal opportunities for all eligible candidates.
HPU, meanwhile, has been preparing to implement the latest UGC regulations for PhD admissions under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. These new guidelines will eliminate the university’s separate entrance examination and instead rely on a merit-based system combining National Eligibility Test (NET) scores and interview performance. Prof. Shivram confirmed that these new rules would be finalized soon and applied to future admission cycles.
