No HC relief for Iranian PhD scholar seeking longer stay at Panjab University

Woman failed to complete her doctorate even after over 12 years; in her plea, the student claimed that she faces a ‘threat in her native country’

The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) has dismissed a plea from an Iranian woman, who enrolled herself in Panjab University in 2012 for PhD, seeking more time to complete her course and longer stay at PU.

In February 2025, the court had directed that Panjab University grant her 15 more days to submit her thesis, however she failed to do so. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

She had approached high court in 2023, demanding that the university be directed to allow her to stay till the completion of her course and further waive the penalty imposed upon her for overstay, etc.

As per university, petitioner Mehri Maleki Dizicheh enrolled herself as a PhD research scholar with the History department in 2012. As per the rules, she had to complete her study/course within eight years, however, owing to various reasons, she could not complete the same.

Reason cited by the student were of outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, among other, and university gave a “golden chance” to her in September 2022 to submit her thesis by December 2022. However, she failed again, after which she approached the high court in 2023.

In February 2025, the court directed that university to grant her 15 more days to submit her thesis. However, she again could not submit the thesis.

Varsity counsel told the court that despite all the facilities being made available to the petitioner, she failed to submit her thesis.

She has submitted now, but that too, to the supervisor, who has only to examine the format, and he/she is not the competent person.

Therefore, the thesis are yet to be submitted to the competent person.

The court dismissed the plea observing that despite lapse of 12/13 years, she has failed to complete her study/course and to submit her thesis, even as extraordinary chances were granted to her, which even was not in accordance with the university rules. During the hearing, it had also come to light that the woman student does not want to leave the country, claiming that she has a “threat in her native country” and a refugee status has been given to her by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Her counsel had also told the court that she had also applied to Indian authorities for permission to stay as a refugee.

The court dismissed the plea but granted her liberty, observing that if she intends to, she can approach the concerned authorities for refugee status.