Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday declared the University Grants Commission's criterion for qualifying the NET/JRF exam as unconstitutional.
» As per the UGC notification regarding the procedure and criteria for declaration of results, the minimum marks to be obtained in the National Eligibility Test (NET) for the award of Junior Research Fellowship and eligibility for appointment as assistant professor are, 40 percent for papers I and II and 50 percent for paper III for general candidates. It is 35 percent for papers I and II and 40 percent for paper III for OBC (Other Backward Communities), PWD (Persons with Disability), SC (Scheduled Caste) and ST (Scheduled Tribe) candidates.
» The merit list of candidates would be prepared subject wise as also reserved category wise, based on the aggregate marks secured by the candidates.
» Only the top 15 percent candidates in all categories will be declared NET qualified.
» A criterion which was likely to eliminate more than 50 percent of the candidates from general category from acquiring the NET qualification cannot be said to be a valid one, the court said.
» The UGC said there is no illegality in qualifying only the 15 percent from the merit list.
» The petition was filed by NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair.
» The court also said that the judgment would not affect the results of the earlier NETs.
