NLU-Delhi cancels interview for CJI Research Fellows after complaints of discrimination

The National Law University-Delhi (NLU-D) on Thursday withdrew an advertisement it had issued a day earlier inviting applications for the position of Research Fellows for the 'Office of Chief Justice of India', apparently after it received complaints of discriminatory eligibility criteria.

"The notification (posted on September 18) for walk-in-interview for Research Fellows stands withdrawn. The walk-in interview to be held on September 24, 2018 are also cancelled till further notification," the Registrar of the university said in a notice uploaded on its website.

In the original advertisement, the university had scheduled interviews for September 24 for two Research Fellows to work on contractual basis with the Chief Justice of India under the guidance of Ravindra Maithani, Secretary General of the Supreme Court of India.

The advertisement was withdrawn, apparently after the university was approached by a few law graduates who complained of a "prejudiced approach" in the eligibility criteria which asked for law graduates with only a "five-year LL.B. programme" and barring those who have done the three-year law course after graduation.

The complainant, in his letter to the university, also took exception to preferring of "candidates with an LL.M./SPILS/BCL or a higher qualification from a prestigious university outside India" -- as was mentioned in the advertisement -- arguing that the term "prestigious" was without a definite meaning.

"Also questionable is the point that the NLU Delhi is giving more weightage to an applicant having a higher degree from outside India, thereby clearly establishing a fact that whatsoever the level of degree being obtained in India, even from Institutes of Excellence/NAAC 'A' accredited, it would always have low or no value... as compared to those obtained from foreign institutions," read the complainant's letter.

University's Registrar or the Deputy Registrar could not be contacted for comment and the Vice Chancellor was out "on tour", his office said.

There are two modes of getting a law degree in India. One is by doing a three-year LL.B. course after graduation and another is a five-year degree programme which one is eligible to enrol in after class 12.

All NLUs admit students under five-year law programmes. Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, and Osmania University are a few of those institutions which allow for a three-year law degree programme.

(Vishal Narayan can be contacted at vishal.n@ians.in)

-- IANS

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