RAKSHA SHAKTI UNIVERSITY

Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad – 380016, Gujarat, India

Phone: +91 79 22683624 Fax: +91 79 22683762
www.rsu.ac.in
_________________________________________________________________________________

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Regulations - 2016

R.1 Title, application and commencement:
1.1 This regulation shall be called “Raksha Shakti University PhD Regulations 2016”. These
Regulations will be effective for the batches of students admitted from the academic session
2016-17 onwards. Students admitted before academic session 2016-17 shall be governed by
the Raksha Shakti University PhD Regulations 2013.
1.2 These Regulations shall apply to the PhD studies conducted in different disciplines by the
Institute of Research & Development, Raksha Shakti University.
1.3 The Regulations govern the conditions for imparting instructions for the courses, conduct of
examinations and evaluation of students' performance leading to award of PhD degree.
1.4 Doctoral Programme leading to the award of degree of PhD shall be offered in the core and
inter-disciplinary Subjects related to Internal Security (Annexure A)
1.5 The provisions of these regulations shall also be applicable to any new discipline(s) that are
introduced from time to time and added to the above list.
1.6 The Board of Governors (BoG) of Raksha Shakti University shall be the apex body as
provided in the Raksha Shakti University Act 2009 for all the decisions relating to PhD
programme. The governing rules and regulation shall be approved by the BoG of the Raksha
Shakti University on the recommendations of the Academic Council.
1.7 Notwithstanding any provisions contained in these Regulations, on the recommendation of
the Academic Council (AC), Faculty of Doctoral Studies shall exercise its powers to
change/amend/interpret/implement any provisions of these Regulations at any time. These
changes/amendments shall be subsequently placed before the BoG.

R.2. Constitution of PhD Committees:

For the smooth conduct of PhD programme, the following committees shall be constituted.
1. The Faculty of Doctoral Studies (FDS)
2. The Research Development Committee (RDC)
3. The Research Progress Monitoring Committee (RPMC)
4. PhD Admission Committee
5. The Ethical Committee (EC)

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2.1. Faculty of Doctoral Studies – FDS (See Annexure B for Proposed Structure)
2.1.1 Faculty of Doctoral Studies shall exercise its powers to
change/amend/interpret/implement any provisions of these Regulations at any time.
These changes shall be subsequently placed before the BoG.
2.1.2 All the minutes of the meetings of RDC, RPMC, PhD Admission Committee and EC
shall be submitted to Academic Council through Faculty of Doctoral Studies.
2.1.3 The tenure of the members of FDS shall be ___ years (To be decided by the Academic
Council).

2.2. The Research Development Committee - RDC (See Annexure C for List)
2.1.1 There shall be a Research and Development Committee (RDC). The members of the
committee shall hold office for a period of five years from the date of constitution of the
committee. The functions of the RDC will be to review Research Proposals and
allocation of the supervisors.
2.1.2 The recommendations of the Research and Development Committee (RDC) shall be
placed before the Faculty of Doctoral Studies and their recommendations shall be placed
before AC & BOG for final approval.

2.3. The Research Progress Monitoring Committee - RPMC

There shall be Research Progress Monitoring Committee (RPMC) consisting of Head of the
Department, Supervisor, two subject experts to be nominated by the Director General, one of
whom will be from outside the University, shall meet at least once in a semester and monitor the
progress of the research scholar. Based on the suggestions of the committee, the research scholar
will take follow-up actions.

2.4. Admission Committee

An admission Committee shall be headed by Director (R&D) and consist of the PhD Course Co-
ordinator and one PhD Supervisor from each department of the University. PhD Course Co-
ordinator shall be member secretary of Admission Committee.
The Admission Committee shall scrutinize all applications and monitor the Entrance Test/Group
Discussion/Interview. The Committee shall prepare the merit list of eligible candidates for PhD
Programme.

2.5 The Ethical Committee - EC (See Annexure D for List)

There shall be an Ethical Committee which shall monitor the ethical concern related to Research
Work of PhD candidate. The EC shall frame the Guidelines on The Ethics of Research including
laying down the Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct for Research. The report of the EC of
each researcher shall be placed before RPMC for information. The PhD Course Co-ordinator
shall be the member secretary of the EC.

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3 PhD Programme
3.1 Full Time PhD Programme
The regular (full time) candidates are expected to work full time for their PhD at Raksha
Shakti University. In addition, the candidates who are receiving
assistantship/scholarship/fellowship from UGC/ICSSR/BPR&D or any other funding
agency and/or from industry sponsored projects shall be regular (full time) candidates.

3.2 Part Time PhD Programme

This category refers to the candidates who are employed personnel in some Academic,
Research ogranisation or industry (including Raksha Shakti University) who are admitted to
the PhD programme. A “No objection certificate” from the Head of the institution where the
person is employed should be submitted along with the application of such applicants. No
fellowship or any assistantship of any kind shall be awarded to such candidates.

4. Duration of the Programme

4.1 PhD Programme shall be for a minimum duration of three years, including course work and a
maximum of six years.
4.2 The women candidates and Persons with Disability (more than 40% disability) are allowed a
relaxation of two year for PhD in the maximum duration. In addition, the women candidates may
be provided Maternity Leave/Child Care Leave once in the entire duration of PhD for up to 240
days.
4.3 Provided that the Director General, on the recommendation of the RMPC or FDS, may
permit the research scholar one more year to complete PhD work in a genuine and justified case.
In that case, the research scholar will be required to renew the registration on payment of
prescribed fees for Re-Registration.

5. Eligibility for PhD Programme

5.1 Candidates for admission to the PhD programme shall have a Master's degree or a
professional degree declared equivalent to the Master’s degree by the corresponding
statutory regulatory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade 'B' in
the UGC 7-point scale (or an equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is
followed) or an equivalent degree from a foreign educational Institution accredited by an
Assessment and Accreditation Agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an
authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory
authority in that country for the purpose of assessing, accrediting or assuring quality and
standards of educational institutions..
5.2 Candidates who have cleared the M.Phil. Course Work with at least 55% marks in aggregate
or its equivalent grade 'B' in the UGC 7-point scale (or an equivalent grade in a point scale
wherever grading system is followed) and successfully completing the M.Phil. Degree shall
be eligible to proceed to do research work leading to the Ph. D. Degree in the same
Institution in an integrated programme. A relaxation of 5% of marks, from 55% to 50%, or
an equivalent relaxation of grade, may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-

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 creamy layer)/differently-abled and other reserved categories of candidates as per the
decision of Govt./University from time to time.
5.3 A person whose M.Phil. Dissertation has been evaluated and the viva voce is pending may
be admitted to the PhD programme of the same Institution;
5.4 Candidates possessing a Degree considered equivalent to M.Phil. Degree of an Indian
Institution, from a Foreign Educational Institution accredited by an Assessment and
Accreditation Agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority,
established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority
in that country for the purpose of assessing, accrediting or assuring quality and standards of
educational institutions, shall be eligible for admission to PhD programme.

6. Recognition & Allocation of PhD Supervisor

6.1 Any regular Professor of the University with at least five research publications in refereed
journals and any regular Associate/Assistant Professor of the University with a PhD degree
and at least two research publications in refereed journals may be recognized as Research
Supervisor.
Provided that in areas/disciplines where there is no or only a limited number of refereed
journals, the Director General, on the recommendation of Director R & D, may relax the
above condition for recognition of a person as Research Supervisor with reasons recorded in
writing.
6.2 Only a full time regular teacher of the University can act as a supervisor. The external
supervisors are not allowed. However, Co-Supervisor can be allowed in inter-disciplinary
areas from other Departments of the same Institute or from other related institutions with the
approval of the Faculty of Doctoral Studies on the recommendation of RDC.
6.3 Supervisor/Co-supervisor who attains superannuation or resigns shall sign an undertaking
that he/she shall have the responsibility of continuing to supervise the candidates as
Supervisor or Co-supervisor as the case may be.
6.4 A Research Supervisor/Co-supervisor who is a Professor, at any given point of time, cannot
guide more than Eight (8) PhD scholars. An Associate Professor as Research Supervisor can
guide up to a maximum of six (6) PhD scholars and an Assistant Professor as Research
Supervisor can guide up to a maximum of four (4) PhD scholars.

7. Procedure for Admission

7.1 The University shall notify the number of seats available for PhD degree programme;
procedure for admission, entrance examination schedule etc. in advance on the website and
or through newspaper advertisement. Interested candidates shall have to apply for the PhD
program in the prescribed format.
7.2 The University shall admit candidates into PhD Programme by a two stage process i.e.
Entrance Test and Interview/viva-voce.
7.3 An Entrance Test shall be conducted by the Raksha Shakti University at notified Exam
Centres on the date prescribed by the Admissions Committee. An Entrance Test shall be

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 qualifying with qualifying marks as 50%. The syllabus of the Entrance Test shall consist of
50% of research methodology and 50% shall be subject specific.
7.4 Candidates who have passed UGC-NET (including JRF)/UGC-CSIR NET (including
JRF)/SLET/GATE/teacher fellowship holder or have passed MPhil are exempted from
Entrance Test and required to appear for Interview/viva-voce directly.
7.5 An interview/viva-voce of candidates who pass Entrance Test (Including Exempted
candidates) shall be organized by the University; in which the candidates are required to
discuss their research interest/area through a presentation before RDC. The interview/viva
voce shall also consider the following aspects:
i. Competence of the candidate for the proposed research
ii. Suitability of research work at RSU
iii. Contribution of proposed research to new/additional knowledge
7.6 The University shall prepare merit list of candidates after completion of the entire process of
Entrance Test and Personal Interview/ viva-voce. The Entrance Test shall be of qualifying
nature and the marks of Entrance Test shall not be counted for preparing Merit List. The
Merit List shall be prepared based on following criteria:
Sr. No. Description Max.Marks

1 JRF from UGC/CSIR or GATE with ___ percentile 10

2 MPhil 10

 Research Publications in Refereed Journals 10

 Paper presented in National/ International Seminar/
3
Conference
(1 Mark for each)
Personal Interview/ viva-voce 70
Domain Knowledge : 20
Research Aptitude : 20
4
Competence of the candidate for the proposed research : 10
Suitability of research work at RSU : 10
Contribution of proposed research to new/additional knowledge : 10
Total Maximum Marks 100

7.7 The University shall adhere to the reservation policy of Govt. of Gujarat, as applicable from
time to time.
7.8 Admissions shall be given based on the merit list and available seats in the respective
subject/discipline.
7.9 The admitted candidates shall have to pay the prescribed fees within 10 days from the date of
offer of admission, failing which the seat shall be allotted to the next eligible candidate on
the merit list.

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7.10 If, there are any vacancies arise by any means in the second term/semester, the same shall
be filled from the waiting list. The candidates who are recommended by RDC but placed as
wait listed candidates shall be eligible for admission in Ph.D. programme in second
term/semester as per the available seats in the respective subject. The Waiting List shall be
valid for concerned Academic Year.

8. Registration of Candidates
8.1 The candidates admitted to the Ph.D. programme shall be registered by paying prescribed
Registration and Annual Course Fees. The period of registration shall start from the date of
admission.
8.2 The candidate shall be required to and submit a brief research proposal to RDC containing
the title, significance and scope of the topic, rationale, justification, national-international
status, theory and research methodology/techniques involved, references, bibliography,
place of research, etc., in coordination with supervisor/co-supervisor.
8.3 The RDC shall either confirm the acceptance of the research proposal or ask the scholar to
make necessary changes. In case of change in the proposal, revised proposal after
incorporation of necessary changes may be resubmitted to
8.4 After the title clearance of the research proposal, the University shall notify the scholar
about approval of the topic of the thesis. (Format given in Appendix ).
8.5 A registered Ph.D. scholar shall not be allowed to pursue any other course/programme from
any University simultaneously. If any such violation is noticed, the registration of the
scholar shall be cancelled automatically.
8.6 A scholar shall not be permitted to submit a thesis for which a degree has been conferred on
him/her in this or in any other University. But a scholar shall not be precluded from
incorporating any work which he/she has already submitted for a degree in this or any other
university, in a thesis covering a wider field, provided that he/she shall indicate in a written
statement accompanying the thesis any work which has been so incorporated.
8.7 The candidate who has cleared Ph.D. Entrance Test and recommended by RDC/RRC for
registration, but awaiting for M.Phil. dissertation results shall be registered immediately
after the notification of M.Phil. degree for his/her Ph.D. programme throughout the year.

9. Allocation of PhD Supervisor

9.1 The allocation of Research Supervisor for a selected research scholar shall be decided by the
RDC depending on the number of scholars per Research Supervisor, the available
specialization among the Supervisors and research interests of the scholars as indicated by
them at the time of admission.
9.2 In case of topics which are of inter-disciplinary nature where the Department concerned
feels that the expertise in the Department has to be supplemented from outside, the
Department may appoint a Research Supervisor from the Department itself, who shall be
known as the Research Supervisor, and a Co-Supervisor from outside the Department/
Faculty/College/Institution on such terms and conditions as may be specified and agreed
upon by the consenting Institutions/Colleges.

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9.4 In case of relocation of an PhD woman scholar due to marriage or otherwise, the research
data shall be allowed to be transferred to the University provided all the other conditions in
these regulations are followed in letter and spirit and the research work does not pertain to
the project secured by the parent institution/ supervisor from any funding agency. Any
student who wants to transfer under this clause is required to send request through parent
Supervisor and University. The transfer admission is subject to the approval of RDC.

10. Course Work

10.1 All candidates admitted to the Ph.D. programme shall be required to complete the course
work prescribed by the University during the initial one or two semesters.
10.2 Candidates already holding MPhil degree and admitted to the PhD programme, or those
who have already completed the Course Work in MPhil and have been admitted to the PhD
may be exempted from the PhD Course Work.
10.3 Total credits assigned to the PhD course work shall be 12 credits. There shall be three
subjects of 4 Credits each.
Subject Name Credits Assessment Methods
Code Total 300 Marks (12 Credits)
Internal External
PHD-1 Research Methodology & 04
Statistics Assignments/
End Term
Test/Seminar/
PHD -2 Research Writing & Survey of 04 Exam (70
Presentation/ (30
Literature Marks for each
Marks for each
subject)
subject)
PHD - 3 Subject Specific Paper 04

10.4 Minimum attendance for PhD Course Work shall be 80%.

10.5 A PhD scholar has to obtain a minimum of 40% in each subject 55% of marks overall and
or its equivalent grade in the UGC 7-point scale (or an equivalent grade/CGPA in a point
scale defined by the University) in the Course Work in order to be eligible to continue in the
programme and submit the thesis. Those who failed to get the minimum passing marks shall
have to reappear for all papers for such examination whenever prescribed by the University.

11 Research Progress Monitoring

11.1 The registered research scholars shall submit progress reports after every six months. The
report shall include an elaborate description of the reading, writing, data collection or any
other work done in relation to the research. The scholar can also mention difficulties
encountered, if any.

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11.2 The Progress Report shall be submitted with the remarks of the concerned Supervisor
whether the progress is satisfactory or not and whether the work done during the period
under consideration is relevant and adequate or not.
11.3 The Progress Report shall be submitted in the month of August and February every year.
11.4 A research scholar shall also appear before the RPMC once in six months to make a
presentation of the progress of his/her work for evaluation and further guidance. In case
the progress of the research scholar is unsatisfactory, the RPMC shall record the reasons
for the same and suggest corrective measures. If the research scholar fails to implement
these corrective measures, the RPMC may recommend FDS with specific reasons for
cancellation of the registration of the research scholar.
11.5 A scholar shall select and finalise the research title within a period of six months from the
date of registration, in consultation with the supervisor. If a change of topic/title becomes
necessary to address the desired objectives, the RDC may, on the recommendation of the
supervisor, permit to change the topic/title, prior to submission of the synopsis.

12. Change of Supervisor(s)

12.1 Student’s desires to change his/her supervisor shall apply to the Director (R&D) through
both the past (old) and new (proposed) supervisors with sufficient reason to change the
supervisor. The decision on this will be taken by Director General on the
recommendations of Director R&D.
12.2 In case if the Supervisor is superannuated/retired from RSU, University may allot another
supervisor or decide to continue the Supervisor till the completion of PhD of the
concerned student based on research topic and field of study.
12.3 In case if the Supervisor resigns the University, a new Supervisor shall be allotted to the
concerned student(s). However, the previous Supervisor may be allowed to work as Co-
Supervisor on the recommendation of Director (R&D) to RDC.
12.4 In case of prolonged sickness or long leave or the cases of similar nature of a supervisor,
a candidate may apply to the Director (R&D) for changing his/her supervisor.

13. Extension, Re-Registration & Cancellation of Registration:

13.1 Ph.D. scholar shall be registered for a maximum period mentioned in R.4 of this
Regulation. In case the scholar fails to submit the thesis within this stipulated period
he/she shall have to get re-registered by paying prescribed Fees.
13.2 The Ph.D. registration of a scholar is liable to be cancelled for any of the following
reasons:
a) Consistent lack of progress in research
b) Violation of discipline, conduct and rules of the University
c) Non-submission of the thesis within the stipulated period
d) Non-conformity with the rules/regulations/ordinances of the programme
e) Giving false information at the time of application/admission/registration

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 f) On the recommendations of the RPMC on account of lack of progress as reported by
the supervisor and also after giving due opportunity to the scholar for defending
his/her case
g) Scholar fails to submit the Ph.D. synopsis within maximum allowed time limit under
this regulation.
13.3 The Faculty of Doctoral Studies shall be competent to cancel the registration of a research
scholar in any of the event mentioned above.

14. Submission & Evaluation of Synopsis & Thesis

14.1 PhD scholars must publish at least One research papers from his/her PhD work in refereed
journal and make Two paper presentations in conferences/seminars based on his/her PhD
work and produce evidence for the same in the form of presentation certificates and/or
reprints before submission of the thesis for adjudication.
14.2 PhD Scholars can submit Synopsis after minimum five (05) six monthly reviews by
RPMC. The RPMC shall assess the work through a pre-synopsis seminar which shall also
be open to all faculty members and other research scholars. The candidate can submit the
synopsis only if the RPMC is satisfied about the quality of the work for submission as
Synopsis. Any changes/amendment suggested by RPMC shall be recorded and PhD
Scholar is required to incorporate suggestions in the Thesis.
14.3 A PhD Scholar shall submit the draft thesis for plagiarism detection with an undertaking
from him and certificate from Supervisor attesting to the originality of work, vouching that
the work has not been submitted elsewhere for the award of any other degree.
14.4 A PhD Scholar shall submit four copies (including soft copies in PDF format in CD) of the
draft thesis to the university within prescribed time limit for evaluation. The draft shall be
printed on both the sides of the papers and can be submitted in spiral bound form so that
the changes / modifications suggested by the referees can be incorporated before
submitting the hard bound copies of the thesis.
14.5 A panel of at least six external examiners (three from other universities within the state and
other three from outside the state or foreign country) shall be submitted by the PhD
Supervisor to Director (R&D). The Director General will nominate two external referees
(one from the state and one from outside the state) from the panel. The referees shall
examine the thesis and submit individual evaluation report whether there is a prima facie
case for the acceptance or the rejection of the thesis.
14.6 If the evaluation report of one of the external examiners is unsatisfactory and does not
recommend viva-voce, the University shall send the thesis to another examiner to be
selected by Director General from the panel. If the evaluation report of the latest examiner
is also unsatisfactory, the thesis shall be rejected.
14.7 If any of the referees has suggested corrections, the candidate shall be required to
incorporate it in the final thesis and submit a corrected version of the thesis before the viva
voce examination. A work that has been rejected shall be resubmitted after due revision
and subject to the payment of necessary fees.
14.8 The hard bound four copies of the thesis (along with soft copies in CD) shall be printed on
one side of the papers and be submitted before the conduct of the viva voce examination.
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14.9 If two external examiners agree that there is a prima facie case for the award of the degree,
the open viva-voce examination of the PhD scholar to defend the thesis shall be conducted
by the Research Supervisor and at least one of the external examiners, and shall be open to
be attended by Faculty members, research scholars and experts. The examiners present at
the viva voce examination shall report jointly to the University whether the thesis be
accepted for the award of the degree or not.
14.11 The University shall complete the entire process of evaluation of PhD thesis within a
period of six months from the date of submission

15. Attendance and Leave Rules

15.1 A fulltime registered scholar is required to be present in the University till submission of
thesis, except when he/she is on duty or sanctioned leave or attending
seminar/conference/workshop.
15.2 A regular Ph. D. scholar shall be eligible to avail a leave of 30 days in an academic year.
He/she may avail additional leave of up to 10 days on medical grounds in an academic
year.
15.3 A Ph. D. scholar shall not be entitled for any inter-semester breaks, winter break and
summer vacations.
15.4 Leave may be sanctioned to a regular PhD scholar for carrying out a part of his/her PhD
research works in other Institutions. Such leave shall be sanctioned normally for a period
not exceeding 60 days in an academic year. However, acceptance letter from the
proposed Institution where the research work is to be carried out shall be a prerequisite
for sanctioning duty leave.
15.5 Leave for carrying out field study, provided field work is a major component of PhD
research, shall be sanctioned normally for a period of maximum 60 days at a time but not
exceeding a total period of 180 days in an academic year.
15.6 Any leave to a scholar shall be sanctioned by The Director (R&D) on the
recommendation of concerned supervisor.

16. Recognition of Research Laboratories of Govt. of India/State Government

16.1 Research Laboratories of Govt. of India/State Government with at least two qualified
teachers/scientists/other academic staff in the concerned Institution along with required
infrastructure, supporting administrative and research promotion facilities such as:
i. In case of science and technology discipline, exclusive research laboratories with
sophisticated equipments as specified by the Institution concerned with provision for
adequate space per research scholar along with computer facilities and essential
software, and uninterrupted power and water supply.
ii. Earmarked library resources including latest books, Indian and International journals,
e-journals, extended working hours for all disciplines, adequate space for research
scholars in the Department/ library for reading, writing and storing study and research
material

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 iii. Access of facilities of the neighbouring Institutions/Collages, or of those
Institutions/Colleges/R&D Laboratories/Organisations which have the required
facilities.
16.2 FDS shall review the eligibility criteria of Research Laboratories of Govt. of India/State
Government for being recognized for the purpose of PhD.

17. Award of PhD Degree

17.1 The University shall issue the notification of the award of PhD only after the completion of
viva voce.
17.2 Along with the Degree, the University shall issue a Provisional Certificate certifying to the
effect that the PhD degree has been awarded in accordance with the provisions to the UGC
(Minimum Standards and Procedure for the award of M.Phil/PhD Degree), Regulations
2016.

18. Depository thesis with INFLIBNET

The university shall submit a soft copy of the PhD thesis to the INFLIBNET Centre within a
period of thirty days for hosting the same, making it accessible to all Institutions/Universities.

19. Rates of Honorarium:

The rates of honorarium for various PhD related activities shall be as follows:
Amount (Rs.)
Paper setting for Course Work, Entrance Test 500/-
(including answer keys)
Sitting Fees to outside Experts to attend Committee 1,000/-
Meetings/viva voce etc.
Synopsis Evaluation 1,000/-
Thesis Evaluation 2,000/-
Honorarium for coordinator, supervisors, assessment, other As per the
secretarial work etc. for Examination/Test University rules
TA/DA, wherever applicable

20. Removal of Difficulties

Notwithstanding anything contained in the above regulation, the FDS may take such measures as
may be necessary for removal of difficulties subject to ratification by the Academic Council.

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