A minimum of 55% (for General candidates) and 50% (for SC/ST, OBC (Non-creamy layer)/Differently-abled candidates) (or an equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) at the Master’s Degree level in the relevant subject. Besides fulfilling the above qualifications, the candidate must have cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the UGC or the CSIR, or a similar test accredited by the UGC like SLET/SET or who have been awarded a Ph.D degree in accordance with the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil/Ph.D Degree) Regulations, 2009 or 2016 and their amendments from time to time as the case may be, may be exempted from NET/SLET/SET: Provided, the candidates registered for the Ph.D programme prior to July 11, 2009, shall be governed by the provisions of the then existing Ordinances/Bye-laws/Regulations of the Institution awarding the degree and such Ph.D candidates shall be exempted from the requirements of NET/SLET/SET for recruitment and appointment subject to the fulfillment of the following conditions: The Ph.D degree of the candidate has been awarded in a regular mode; The Ph.D thesis has been evaluated by at least two external examiners; An open Ph.D viva voce of the candidate has been conducted; The candidate has published two research papers from his/her Ph.D work, out of which at least one is in a refereed journal; The candidate has presented at least two papers based on his/her Ph.D work in conferences/seminars sponsored by the UGC/ICSSR/CSIR or any similar agency. The fulfillment of these conditions is to be certified by the Registrar or the Dean (Academic Affairs) of the University.