These regulations establish the mandatory attendance requirements, leave entitlements, and protocols governing field work and data-collection activities for all Ph.D. scholars. They are promulgated to ensure sustained academic engagement and the orderly advancement of research. Compliance with these provisions is obligatory and subject to University oversight.

Attendance Standards and Leave Governance

• Full-time scholars may engage in fieldwork, institutional visits, or data-collection activities only after successfully completing all required coursework.
• Scholars who fall short of the prescribed attendance by up to 10% due to medical reasons may apply for relaxation by submitting a medical certificate through their Research Supervisor to the Research Coordinator.
• After the completion of the coursework (i.e., after the first two semesters), from the third semester until the third DC meeting (synopsis confirmation), Full-Time scholars must maintain at least 75 percent attendance of the total working days in each semester. Part-Time scholars must maintain a reasonable level of academic engagement, including research interactions and review meetings with their supervisors.
• Scholars may be granted up to three weeks of summer vacation during the month of June. The winter vacation period shall be from 20 December to 20 January. These vacation entitlements shall not exempt scholars from fulfilling ongoing research obligations. Scholars shall remain available to the Research Supervisor, including on non-working days as formally scheduled, to ensure the continuous and timely advancement of their research work.
• Government holidays, Saturdays, Sundays, and officially declared University holidays will be treated as non-working days for all scholars.
• Scholars availing fellowships must record their biometric attendance on all University working days as stipulated in their fellowship terms.
• Full-time scholars should not be employed on a regular basis anywhere until the submission of their thesis. If a scholar is found to be engaged in regular employment during this period, appropriate action will be taken as per university regulations, including the possibility of termination of registration.

Field Work, Institutional Visits & Data Collection

• Full-time scholars may engage in fieldwork, institutional visits, or data-collection activities only after successfully completing all required coursework.
• All requests for field work or data collection must be submitted through the Research Supervisor to the Research Coordinator. The Research Coordinator may approve field work for a period up to one month, and any request beyond this duration will be forwarded to the Registrar for approval.
• Upon returning from fieldwork or data-collection activities, the scholar must submit proper evidence of completion. This may include relevant documentation duly signed by the Person-in-Charge or Head of the Department at the place where the work was carried out, or geo-tagged photographs accompanied by an appropriate write-up.