Panjab University Defies High Court Directive on Mandatory Father's Name in Forms
In a glaring violation of judicial directives, Panjab University continues to mandate the entry of a father's name across all admission and administrative forms, despite clear orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to eliminate such requirements. This persistent practice creates significant barriers for students from single-parent families or those with personal circumstances preventing them from providing paternal details.
Technical Barriers in Online Admission Process
The issue has come into sharp focus during the current Panjab University Common Entrance Test (Undergraduate) application cycle. Students attempting to register for PU-CET (UG) find themselves unable to proceed through the online application system unless they complete both father's and mother's name fields. The system provides no option to mark the father's name field as not applicable, nor does it allow for any declaration explaining the absence of paternal information.
Since the entire PU-CET (UG) application process operates exclusively online, applicants who cannot provide a father's name due to personal or legal circumstances have absolutely no alternative pathway for submission. This technical design flaw effectively creates an insurmountable barrier at the very first stage of the admission process.
University-Wide Pattern of Exclusionary Forms
The mandatory father's name requirement extends far beyond entrance examinations. Panjab University's undergraduate course applications, hostel admission forms, semester registration documents, and migration certificate applications all contain compulsory father's name fields without any exemption mechanisms. Even alumni-related documents demonstrate this pattern.
The "Application for Enrolment as a Registered Graduate: 2026," used by alumni seeking registered graduate status, mandates a father's name while curiously omitting any corresponding field for the mother's name. Similarly, the student registration form for obtaining parking stickers through the university's online management system requires paternal details without offering alternatives.
Administrative Acknowledgment and Legal Context
Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig has confirmed the absence of any exemption mechanism. When questioned about provisions for applicants raised by single mothers or those unable to provide paternal details, she stated plainly: "All our admission forms are online. As of now, there is no provision to not mention the father's name."
This institutional stance persists despite a clear directive issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August 2023. While addressing matters related to the rehabilitation of rape survivors and their children, the court specifically directed the governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh to frame policies eliminating the requirement of seeking a father's name in any form, particularly within educational institutions.
Legal experts emphasize that these judicial observations were intended to guide administrative practices broadly. They note that even when admission rules don't explicitly disqualify applicants without paternal details, mandatory digital fields effectively block access at the application stage, creating de facto discrimination.
Advocacy and Institutional Response
Over the past year, advocate Raja Vikrant Sharma, a Panjab University alumnus, has submitted multiple representations to university authorities including the vice-chancellor's office, dean of university instruction, and dean of student welfare. He has identified what he describes as a consistent pattern across university paperwork where the father's name is either mandatory or exclusively sought, while the mother's name is often absent or optional.
Sharma has urged the university to conduct an institution-wide audit of all forms to bring them into compliance with judicial directions. However, a senior Panjab University official, speaking anonymously, revealed that the online system merely checks whether entries exist in mandatory fields. While technically any text can be entered to proceed, such entries could face questioning during subsequent document verification, potentially leading to objections at the scrutiny stage.
The continued insistence on mandatory father's name fields represents not just a technical oversight but a fundamental failure to implement court-mandated reforms that would make educational institutions more inclusive for all students, regardless of their family circumstances.
