Shailesh Yadav's candidature for PhD in forensic sciences has been put on hold for the time being. The academic committee of AIIMS, which met on Thursday, has asked the institute administration to also withhold the PhD results in forensic sciences.

Earlier, in January this year, a controversy arose regarding his candidature after the AIIMS faculty alleged that Yadav was permitted to appear for the entrance exam (theory) for PhD by acting director Dr T D Dogra in a gross violation of rules. They alleged that Yadav did not have an MSc degree or a master's degree in any subject allied to medical sciences.

Following this, the academic committee decided to keep his candidature on hold and has also asked the institute's director to refer Yadav's case back to the Centre for clearance on who would ultimately sponsor his PhD and whether his candidature was fair.