Delhi HC allows Sikh candidates to wear ‘kara’, carry ‘kirpan’ during NET 2018 exams

The Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed Sikh candidates to wear iron bracelet, referred to as kara, and dagger, called kirpan, as they appear for the National Eligibility Test 2018 – NET 2018. The court has, however, put a condition for the Sikh candidates.

The court has asked those donning kara and kirpan to report to the examination centre at least one hour before the reporting time slated for other candidates. The directive has been given in the wake of screening and security concerns.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is slated to hold the NET on July 8, 2018 on behalf of the University Grants Commission for eligibility for assistant professor and junior research fellowship. The candidates are not required to send the printout of the online application form to the CBSE.

Whether or not a candidate is awarded the JRF or is considered eligible for Assistant Professor or both will depend on the performance of the candidate in both the papers of NET in aggregate. The candidates qualifying exclusively for Assistant Professor will not be considered for award of JRF. Candidate appearing in NET should clearly specify in the prescribed Application Form whether they are applying for both JRF and Eligibility for Assistant Professor both or only for eligibility for Assistant Professor.

The result of the UGC-NET will be made available on the official websites: cbsenet.nic.in after it is declared. The candidate will not be individually intimated about their result. The candidates who qualify for the award of Junior Research Fellowship are eligible to pursue research in the subject of their post-graduation or in a related subject and are also eligible for Assistant Professor. 

The validity period of the JRF offer is three years w.e.f. the date of issue of JRF Award Letter. The examination fee for general category is Rs 1000, for other backward classes is Rs 500 and for SC/ST/PwD/Transgender candidates is Rs 250.