(1.) These writ petitions have been filed by the respective petitioners challenging the change in category-wise qualifying criteria for lectureship in the examination held on 24.6.2012 for making them eligible for acquiring National Eligibility Test ('NET' for short). I shall refer to the facts pleaded in W.P.(C) Nos.22187/2012, 22280/2012 and 26468 since common grounds have been raised by various petitioners.
(2.) W.P.(C) No.22187/2012 is at the instance of the petitioner who is a postgraduate in Humanities (M.A. - Malayalam). She has secured M.A. from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady in 1996 with 58% marks. She passed M.Phil (Malayalam) in the year 2012 from Madurai Kamaraj University.
(3.) It is pointed out in the writ petition that the University Grants Commission (for short 'U.G.C.') has made the "University Grants Commission (Minimum Qualifications required for Appointment and Career Advancement of Teachers in Universities and Institutions Affiliated to it) Regulations 2000. For the post of Lecturers under clause 1.3.3, the following qualifications have been fixed.