Days after the Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) at the University of Hyderabad released a report alleging caste discrimination in the interview evaluation process of PhD candidates, the administration has agreed to adopt several measures to address the concerns highlighted. According to a statement from ASA, the report was discussed in a recent meeting of the academic council, which agreed to implement certain measures from the upcoming academic session. These measures include the setting up of a committee to investigate cases of “gross discriminatory marking” highlighted in the report, recording of all PhD interviews, and strict adherence to evaluation criteria. The council also agreed to take steps to ensure the caste category and name of the candidate is hidden from the interview panellists. 

Based on department-wise details of interview and entrance exam marks of PhD candidates obtained under the Right to Information Act, the ASA report had shown that candidates from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes categories were marked much lower than those from unreserved category in the interviews, despite similar marks in the entrance exam. “The findings give an impression that the students were marked in the interviews deliberately as if to ensure that the general category seats are occupied exclusively by students belonging to the unreserved category,” ASA had said in its report.

Seven departments in particular — Computer Science, Biochemistry, Physics, Plant Sciences, Electronics, Applied Mathematics, and Microbiology — were accused of favouring unreserved category candidates over SC, ST and OBC candidates in the interviews.

Speaking to TNM, president of the students’ union Prajwal Gaikwad said that the academic council had agreed to several demands put forward by ASA, and that the changes would come into effect from the upcoming admission session. He added that the admission procedure would be clearly mentioned in the brochure itself, in a transparent manner.

Here’s the full list of demands accepted by the academic council, to come into effect soon:

> A committee will be set up to investigate the cases where gross discriminatory marking was highlighted on the basis of the seven page report produced by ASA

> All PhD interviews will be recorded

> Evaluation criteria and weightages will be elaborated in the prospectus and properly followed

> Each panellist will individually score the candidates using above criteria and the same will be submitted to the Controller of Examinations

> Caste category of the candidates will not be published in the interview notifications

> Interview call lists would not contain the names of the candidates but only their hall ticket numbers

> Caste certificates of the candidates will not be verified by the panellists