CUTTACK: A single judge bench of Justice Ananda Chandra Behera has quashed de-registration of a female PhD scholar of Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, allowing her another opportunity to complete her doctoral studies.
The student had approached the court seeking to set aside the order dated May 28, 2025, issued by the university’s controller of examination, which de-registered her from the PhD programme citing repeated failure to complete the course and non-payment of required fees.
During the hearing, counsel for the university and the state strongly opposed the petition. They argued that the conduct and attitude of the petitioner was not justifiable for renewal of her PhD registration number. She was “a continuous defaulter” who had failed multiple times to complete her research and was de-registered at the instance of her own guide, they submitted.
However, Justice Behera on Friday took a sympathetic view of the petitioner’s situation. Observing her intent to complete her doctoral studies, he noted, “When the petitioner is eagerly interested to complete her PhD only in order to achieve the last goal of her life, denying her another opportunity would not serve any meaningful purpose.”
He set aside the de-registration order and directed the authorities to renew the petitioner’s PhD registration in accordance with UGC norms. The university was also instructed to allow her to continue her research under a guide as per applicable regulations.