$~65 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Decided on: 24.02.2025 + W.P.(C) 2218/2025, CM APPL. 10418/2025 & CM APPL.

10419/2025 DR SHRADDHA PAL .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Ashish Mohan, Sr. Advocate with Mr. Saimon Farooqui, Advocate with petitioner in person.

versus JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Vasanth Rajasekaran, Sr.

Standing Counsel, JNU & Mr.

Harshvardhan Korada, Advocates.

CORAM:

HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE PRATEEK JALAN PRATEEK JALAN, J. (ORAL):

1. The petitioner is a candidate for appointment to the post of Associate Professor in Centre of Russian Studies [“CRS”], under the Other Backward Classes–Non-Creamy Layer [“OBC-NCL”] category, in the respondent-University, pursuant to an Advertisement bearing No.

RC/71/2024 issued in March 2024.

2. By way of present petition, under Article 226 of the Constitution, the petitioner seeks cancellation of the candidature of a rival candidate bearing application No. bearing 2300060624 [hereinafter, “Dr. X”], on the contention that he was ineligible, due to his failure to submit a valid OBC-NCL certificate before the last date of submission of applications. Dr. X has not been impleaded in the present petition; the