DU objects to St. Stephen’s principal appointment

St. Stephen’s College had announced the appointment of Elias, its first woman principal, a landmark moment in the 145-year-old institution’s history, on Tuesday.

Days after St. Stephen’s College named Professor Susan Elias as principal, the University of Delhi on Thursday objected to the appointment, alleging that the committee constituted for her selection violated provisions of the 2018 University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations governing the appointment of teachers and academic staff.

Professor Susan Elias is scheduled to take charge on June 1.

St. Stephen’s College had announced the appointment of Elias, its first woman principal, a landmark moment in the 145-year-old institution’s history, on Tuesday. She is scheduled to take charge on June 1.

In a statement on Thursday, addressed to the governing body chairman of the college and accessed by HT, the university said, “The university has not been requested for nomination of experts as per the provisions of UGC regulations 2018... and in view of the above, it appears that the selection committee for the appointment of a new principal in the college has not been constituted in accordance with the provision of UGC Regulations 2018.”

The statement, signed by DU Registrar Vikas Gupta, further directed the college not proceed with the appointment and reconstitute the selection committee in accordance with UGC norms.

St. Stephen’s College is a Christian minority institution under the Church of North India with 50% of its seats are reserved for Christian students.

The current principal of Stephen’s College John Varghese, Susan Elias, and the chairman of the college’s governing body, Paul Swarup, did not respond to HT’s requests for comment.

This is not the first time the university and the college have clashed over such an issue, with admissions, seat reservation under the minority institution status, fee policies, and the appointment of teaching staff frequently becoming a point of contention between the two.

While the university has emphasised a need for uniform implementation of rules across all affiliated colleges, St. Stephen’s College maintains that, as a minority institution, it has a certain degree of autonomy and rights.

The college administration and DU also spared over the continuation of Prof. Varghese beyond his original five-year term, which ended in March 2021. Varghese continued for another term which ended in February 2026.

A similar dispute over the appointment of Valson Thampu as principal also arose in 2008 with the university alleging that due process was not followed during his selection.

In 2008 too there was a dispute over the appointment of the principal regarding the validity of his PhD.

In 2024, St. Stephen’s College denied admission to seven students, triggering a dispute with the University of Delhi. The university had allotted them seats in the college, but Stephen’s did not give them admission, triggering a dispute over seat matrix and allocation.The matter later reached the Delhi High Court, which directed the college to grant admission to the students.

“There is a clear need for greater clarity on the norms applicable to minority institutions particularly in appointment of principals as it can likely impact the overall functioning of a college,” said a former universitysenior official on condition of anonymity.

Nandita Narain, a retired professor from St. Stephen’s College said the college’s issues with the university appear to be an exception even among minority institutions.

“St. Stephen’s College is a minority institution and is entitled to certain rights under that status. However, it is also a state-funded minority institution. If the college has concerns with the university’s norms, it is free to challenge them in court, but it cannot choose to violate them,” said Narain.

“The regulation cited by the university in its statement already provides an exception for minority institutions. Similar norms are followed in other minority institutions such as Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College and Jesus and Mary College, where such issues do not typically arise. St. Stephen’s appears to be an exception even among minority institutions,” Narain added.