Nagpur- In a significant development, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on 15 July granted relief to hundreds of aspiring PhD scholars whose admissions at Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya (MGAHV), Wardha, had been stalled for years. The court permitted the university to proceed with the PhD admission process for the 2022-23 session while staying the impugned communication dated 13 August 2024.

The controversy arose after the university conducted the entrance test and interviews for the 2022-23 PhD admissions in 2023. However, allegations of irregularities led the administration to withhold the results and halt the entire process. This decision left the future of thousands of research aspirants in limbo. Subsequently, the university constituted an inquiry committee headed by former Bombay High Court judge Justice M.N. Gilani. The committee submitted its report, concluding that no irregularities were found in the admission process.

During the hearing of Writ Petition No. 693 of 2025 filed by Anjaney S/o KamleshChandra Ojha and others, the university’s counsel informed the court that the inquiry report had been forwarded, clearly stating no irregularities in the PhD admission process. The division bench comprising Justice Anil S. Kilor and Justice Raj D. Wakode granted eight weeks’ time to the university to file its reply and listed the matter for further hearing on 10 September.

In the interim, the court stayed the impugned order of 13 August 2024 and explicitly permitted the university to move forward with the PhD admission process. This order brings much-needed relief to the petitioners and other waiting scholars who had been battling administrative delays and uncertainty for years.

In conversations with The Mooknayak, few research scholars raised critical questions. Students ask: if there were no irregularities in the admission process, on what grounds was the decision made to stall it for years? If the inquiry found everything to be in order, at whose behest and by whose decision was the future of prospective scholars left in limbo? They further ask: when the inquiry was complete and it is claimed that the findings were already known, why were the report and its conclusions not made public? In whose interest was the information suppressed? Was this merely administrative negligence, or was there a deliberate strategy behind it?

Another serious question concerns the expenditure incurred during the inquiry process. Payments of approximately ₹50,000 were made for each hearing; what was the legal and administrative basis for this? A retired judge was appointed; were the necessary formal approvals obtained for this appointment? If not, who is accountable for this expenditure?

Students state that answers to these questions are essential not only for financial transparency but also to ensure the accountability of the university administration. Furthermore, the question must be asked: who will take responsibility for the academic loss caused by this entire episode?

How many students exceeded the age limit, how many saw their research and career plans disrupted, and how many faced mental, financial, and social hardships? Will anyone be held accountable for this?

Now, another crucial question arises. If the inquiry found the admission process to be entirely proper and transparent, will any action be taken against those who filed false complaints?

Will those individuals be held answerable, the ones whose allegations caused the entire admission process to stall for years and impacted the futures of thousands of students?