The Delhi High Court on Monday directed Delhi University (DU) to grant admission to 18 out of 19 students whose admission to St. Stephen’s College under the Christian quota had been withheld [St. Stephen’s College v. University of Delhi].
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma heard the plea by St. Stephen’s College, which sought directions for DU to allow the admission of these candidates selected under the Christian quota for undergraduate (UG) courses.
The Court ruled that 18 of the Christian minority students were entitled to admission, but found that one student exceeded the 5% allocation limit.
Justice Sharma emphasized that Article 30(1) [the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice] is not an absolute right. Even minority institutions that receive aid must adhere to government regulations.
It was further noted that St. Stephen’s College cannot claim absolute power in defiance of rules set by the University to which it is affiliated.
The College argued that it had forwarded the list of selected Christian candidates for admission to DU by August 24. However, DU did not open the fee portal for these candidates to complete their admission process or upload their names on the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) portal.
With UG classes having begun on August 29, the College claimed that each day of delay and inaction by DU added to the distress and humiliation faced by the candidates.
Despite sending multiple email reminders, DU did not proceed with the admissions, according to the College.
During court proceedings, DU acknowledged that the deadline for fee payment by the candidates was September 30, and later extended the cut-off date. However, St. Stephen’s College pointed out that the fee portal was still not accessible for the affected candidates.
St. Stephen’s, as a Christian minority institution, has been permitted by the Delhi High Court to allocate admissions under the Christian quota, using a criterion of 85% weightage for Common Undergraduate Entrance Test (CUET) scores and 15% for interviews. However, the College argued that DU failed to honor the admission process for the selected Christian candidates.
Senior Advocate Romy Chacko, along with Advocates Kartik Venu and Akshat Singh, represented St. Stephen’s College. Advocates Mohinder JS Rupal and Hardik Rupal appeared for DU, while Advocates Anup Kumar, Neha Jaiswal, and Shruti Singh represented the students.
