SC aids UGC's eligibility criteria for NET-National Eligibility Test

The Supreme court on Thursday upheld the UGC's (University Grants Commission) policy for fixing eligibility criteria for candidates to qualify the National Eligibility Test (NET).

It stated as "it is not arbitrary and illegal". The bench was hearing the UGC's plea, challenging the Bombay High Court's order on setting aside, the eligibility criteria fixed by the UGC for the NET June 2012 examination, held for Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship.

A bench headed by Justice KS Radhakrishnan said, "courts shall not interfere in matters of education unless there is a violation of statutory provisions and it is open to the UGC to lay down any qualifying criteria."

The bench said "UGC, as an expert body, has been entrusted with the duty, to take steps as it may think fit for the determination and maintenance of standards of teaching, examination and research in the university. In order to attain the said standards, it is open to the UGC to lay down any qualifying criteria which has a rational nexus to object to be achieved."

In March 2012, the UGC had called for applications for NET exam, and in its notification it had prescribed the minimum marks for general category as 40%, 40% and 50% in papers 1, 2 and 3 respectively. OBC and SC/ST candidates were given a relaxation of 5%, and 10% respectively.

After the test in June 2012, the UGC had added a clause prescribing 65% aggregate marks in all three subjects for general candidates, 60% for OBC and 55% for SC/ST as final qualifying criteria.