New Delhi- In a shocking revelation that has raised serious questions about transparency and fairness in Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) PhD admission process, an OBC category Junior Research Fellow (JRF) qualified student claims he was deliberately marked "Absent" in the results despite completing a full 20-minute online interview.

Vishal Yadav, a recent Master's graduate in Geography from JNU (2022-24 batch), alleges that this administrative oversight has effectively derailed his academic future, violating his constitutional right to equal opportunity.

Vishal, whose registration number is 202511010259, appeared for the second phase of PhD admissions for the 2025-26 session at JNU's Centre for the Study of Social Medicine and Community Health (CSMCH). Categorized solely under the JRF quota, his interview was scheduled and conducted on December 21, 2025, around noon via Google Meet. The panel, chaired by Professor Vikash Vajpayee and comprising Nemathingai Guite and Professor Saraswati, grilled him on his research interests and subject expertise for the entire allotted time. "I felt confident leaving the call; my answers were substantive, and the discussion flowed well," Vishal recounted in his mail.

However, elation turned to dismay when the results were declared on January 7, 2026. To his horror, Vishal's status read "Absent" a glaring anomaly that disqualified him from further consideration, even as List-2 of selected candidates was promptly published. Compounding the error, his results were initially processed under the NET category instead of JRF, despite his clear application.

Vishal sprang into action and within hours of the result announcement, he fired off emails to key JNU officials, including the Director of Admissions, Dean of School of Social Sciences (SSS), CSMCH Centre Head, and the PhD Help Desk. For two grueling days, he shuttled between the Admission Branch and the CSMCH Centre on the JNU campus, pleading his case in person. "It was a vicious cycle, they kept passing the buck. The Admission Branch directed me to the Centre, and the Centre sent me back to the Branch. No one would own up or provide clarity," he said, frustration evident in his voice.

Persistent follow-ups yielded partial relief: After 15 days of emails and visits, officials acknowledged the category mismatch and updated it from NET to JRF. Yet, the core issue persisted, his status remained "Absent." Vishal said, " After 15 days they have replied that my result status is updated but result format is still wrong, they just uploaded 8 marks in final score column but there is no open rank or category rank in my result. If they have already declared the result and list 2 of admission has been also published then how can they consider me in the result that's why they have just uploaded 8 marks now according to their own mind because now they have no way to consider me for admission, I don't know why they have done such type of acts but it's so frustrating and disappointing for me as a student and this way the JNU administration has violated my right of the equal chance of admission."