St Stephen’s and DU have been at loggerheads over the minority institution’s refusal to do away with interviews for admissions to its general seats.Supporting a petition which challenges St. Stephen’s College’s decision to continue with interviews in the admission for undergraduate seats, Delhi University has told the High Court that the college cannot be allowed to bring “subjectivity bias and discrimination” through conduct of interviews for students belonging to the non-minority communities.
“The Law is well settled that aided minority educational institution cannot admit students under the unreserved category as per its own whims and fancies,” said the varsity in response to a petition seeking a direction to make St. Stephen’s College admit students on its ‘unreserved seats’ of UG courses only based on marks received in their Common University Entrance Test exam as mandated by the DU.
The case is listed for hearing on Wednesday. The college’s separate petition against the DU’s communication directing it to withdraw the admission prospectus and admit general category students to UG courses only through the CUET is also listed for the hearing.
St Stephen’s and DU have been at loggerheads over the minority institution’s refusal to do away with interviews for admissions to its general seats. The college in May announced that it will give 85 per cent weightage to CUET score and 15 per cent to interview.
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DU’s Registrar Dr Vikas Gupta in the reply said the National Educational Policy recommends to hold CUET and it has been accepted by all other colleges. “The college is an aided minority educational institution enjoying privileges under the University and, therefore, is bound by its rules and regulations,” reads the reply.
A DU law student, Konika Poddar, has challenged the decision of the college. The PIL filed through advocate Akash Vajpai states that it is being filed “on behalf of hundreds of students who want to take admission in the unreserved seats” of St. Stephen’s but do not want to appear for the interview as it “is against the admission policy” of DU and also against the mandate of its Academic and Executive Councils.
St. Stephen’s in response has said the PIL has been “collusively” filed “at the behest” of the university, and Poddar is in no way concerned with the admission process adopted by the college as it is not offering any course in law.
“The admission process adopted by the respondent college is purely based on merit. The college follows the very same procedure for admission for both minority and non-minority students.” said the college, adding that the procedure adopted by it is consistent with minority rights granted by the Constitution to the minority institutions.
In response to the college’s argument that the issue is covered by a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, the DU has said that the judgement has no direct relevance in the changed facts and circumstances. The varsity in a communication to the college has said that any admission done in violation of its admission norms and policies “shall not be recognized and will be treated as null and void ab initio”.
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