India, Nov. 20 -- The University of Mumbai (MU) has decided to cancel the registrations of 553 doctoral scholars who have failed to complete their research within the maximum period permitted under the University Grants Commission (UGC) rules. The decision was taken at a recent academic council meeting, where cases of PhD candidates who had been enrolled for several years without any progress in their work were discussed, officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times.

"As per the guidelines, each PhD guide can supervise only a fixed number of students," said a senior MU official. "The academic council decided to terminate the registration of 553 PhD candidates as the PhD guides could not accept fresh candidates."

The universit...