$~89 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Date of decision: 13.04.2026 + W.P.(C) 1325/2026 SALMAN SALEEM .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Kaif Hasan, Mr. Mohammad Waseem, Mr. Vaibhav Pachauri, Mr.

Firdouse, Advs.

versus UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Syed Abdul Haseeb, CGSC with Mr. Muhammad Aamir Khan, Mr.

Syed Abdur Rahman, Advs. for UOI Ms. Aishwarya Srivastava, Adv. for R-5/NTA Mr. Pritish Sabharwal, SC for JMI CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JASMEET SINGH : JASMEET SINGH, J (ORAL CM.APPL. 24062/2026

1. This is an application filed under Section 151 of CPC, 1908 seeking early hearing of the main petition.

2. For the reasons stated in the application, the present application is allowed, and the main petition shall be taken up for hearing today.

3. The present application has been disposed of in aforesaid terms.

W.P.(C) 1325/2026

4. In view of the above, the matter has been taken up for hearing today.

5. This is a writ petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking the following prayers: -

“A. Issue a writ of Certiorari or any other appropriate writ, order or direction, quashing and setting aside the illegal and arbitrary action/decision of the respondent university denying admission to the petitioner to the Ph.D. Programme (Academic) 2025–26 in Anwar Jamal Kidwai–Mass Communication Research Centre (AJK-MCRC) under the Exempted Category, after having provisionally selected him and declared him successful in the final selection list dated

19.12.2025.

B. Issue a writ of Mandamus directing the respondents to treat the date of issuance of Ph.D. Admission Notification dated 16.10.2025 as the relevant date for determining the validity of UGC-NET Certificate/Scorecard, in absence of any prescribed cut-off date under the Ph.D. Ordinance or UGC Regulations., And/or C. Issue a writ, order or direction in nature of certiorari quashing the Selected Admission List dated 19.12.2025 and further issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of mandamus directing the Respondents to issue/prepare a fresh list of admission following the reservation policy as per the Ordinance 6 (VI) and the revised Ph.D. Ordinance dated 17.10.2025 , And/or D. Issue a writ, order or direction in nature of certiorari quashing the notice dated 20.12.2025 (ANNEXURE-A2) issue by the Controller of Examinations calling provisionally selected candidates for verification and admission, and further issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of mandamus directing the Respondents to issue/prepare a fresh list of admission and notification for admission following the reservation policy as per the Ordinance 6 (VI) and the revised Ph.D. Ordinance dated

17.10.2025, And/or E. Issue a writ, order or direction in nature of mandamus directing the Respondents to specify the seats in the admission to the course of Ph.D. program of AJK-MCRC (Session 2025-26) under different categories of reservation as per the Ordinance 6 (VI) , And/or F. Issue a writ, order or direction in nature of mandamus directing the Respondents to strictly and religiously follow the reservation policy as per the Ordinance 6 (VI) in all its future admissions in all its future admissions, And/or G. Issue a writ of Mandamus directing the respondents not to deny or withdraw admission from the petitioner on grounds arising solely out of administrative delay attributable to the respondent university, after having verified the petitioner at multiple stages and offered admission, And/or…”

6. The case of the petitioner is that the petitioner qualified UGC-NET (June-2024), which made the petitioner eligible for Assistant Professor and Admission to Ph.D. vide result dated 17.10.2024. The respondent No. 5 i.e., National Testing Agency (“NTA”) issued Certificate of Eligibility (“Certificate of Eligibility ”) to the petitioner, as per which Validity of the admission certificate to Ph.D. was one year from date of result i.e., one year from 17.10.2024.

7. Subsequently, the respondent No. 2 issu