In Brief
The Supreme Court held that Ph.D degrees awarded by Open Universities must be treated as equivalent to those from conventional universities for employment purposes. The West Bengal College Service Commission had excluded an Open University Ph.D holder from consideration for a Principal position, but the Court reversed this, finding that the UGC Act applies uniformly to both open and conventional universities, ensuring identical standards. The judgment directed that Dr. Abdul Motin be appointed as Principal, and other similarly qualified open university graduates be considered for lecturer and reader positions without discrimination based on the mode of education delivery.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.