DU-Admission 2023; HC Seeks Varsity’s Stand on St Stephen’s Objection to CUET-Based Admission for Minorities

DU-Admission 2023: The Delhi University cannot interfere with or take away St Stephens College’s constitutionally protected authority to govern an educational institution and choose students for admission, according to St Stephens College.

As undergraduate admissions are about to start, the dispute over CUET-based admissions between Delhi University and St. Stephens College has resurfaced. The Delhi University cannot interfere with or take away St Stephens College’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom to operate an educational institution and choose students for admission, according to the college, which is represented by attorney Romy Chacko.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court requested Delhi institution’s answer to a petition brought by St. Stephen’s College challenging the institution’s directive that admission under the minority quota be based exclusively on the results of the common university entrance test (CUET), without an interview.

On the basis of the college’s argument, a bench consisting of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad issued letters to DU and UGC and requested that they submit their responses.

The court stated orally that the DU communication was “contrary” to a ruling it made over the admissions procedure last year. This judgement led it to the conclusion that the college could publish a prospectus.

The decision from the previous year allowed St. Stephen’s College to admit minority students by conducting additional interviews, but it upheld the CUET score’s 100% weighting for non-minority candidates.

“The (previous) judgement is still in effect. We’ll give notice, the judge declared.

Chetan Sharma, an additional solicitor general for the respondent, asked the court for more time to respond to the college’s argument, claiming there was no immediate need for it at this point.

It has argued that DU’s policy to require a 100% weighted average on the CUET in order to admit students under the minority quota is both extra vires (beyond the authority of) and illegal under Article 30 of the Constitution.

DU-Admission 2023 Christian Quota:

The Delhi University has recently decided that, even for the 50% Christian quota of seats, admissions during the current academic year (2023) will only be based on CUET score, with no interview and no addition of 15% marks for interview will be authorised, according to the petition.

According to the petition, “the impugned decision of the University denies the petitioner college its right to conduct interviews for admission to undergraduate courses in the minority category is contrary to the judgement of this Hon’ble Court dated September 12, 2022 in W.P. (C) No. 8814/2022 in St. Stephen’s College vs. University of Delhi, which recognised the Petitioner’s right to select students of the minority category by conducting interviews.

DU-Admission 2023 St. Stephen’s College:

For admission to its unreserved seats in UG programmes, St. Stephen’s College last year filed a petition disputing DU’s letter demanding it to withdraw its prospectus that awarded CUET and college interviews equal weights of 15% and 85%, respectively.

The court ordered St. Stephen’s College to give the CUET 2022 score 100 percent weight when granting admission to non-minority students in its undergraduate programmes in September 2022, holding that the rights granted to a minority institution under the Constitution cannot be extended to non-minorities.

For the admission of students from minority communities, it was stated that the college has the ability to conduct interviews in addition to the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), but it cannot require non-minority candidates to additionally endure an interview.

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