In Brief
Two civil appeals challenged High Court judgments that allowed candidates with M.Phil. degrees obtained through distance education before 11 July 2009 to apply for Guest Lecturer positions. The State argued such degrees were invalid under 2009 UGC regulations prohibiting distance M.Phil./Ph.D. programmes. The Supreme Court held that regulations are prospective and do not invalidate degrees already granted. However, since recruitment advertisements in 2012 were governed by the amended 2009 UGC Qualifications Regulations requiring NET as minimum eligibility for Lecturers, the Court directed reconsideration of candidates' eligibility under both the earlier M.Phil. qualification and current minimum qualification standards.
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