HC declines to stay Delhi University letter asking St Stephens to withdraw prospectus

The Delhi high court on Friday declined to stay for the time being the Delhi University letter asking St Stephen’s College to withdraw its prospectus for admissions to undergraduate courses for the academic year 2022-23

The Delhi high court on Friday declined to stay for the time being the Delhi University letter asking St Stephen’s College to withdraw its prospectus for admissions to undergraduate courses for the academic year 2022-23.

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A bench of acting chief justice Vipin Sanghi and justice Sachin Datta, however, issued notice on the stay application and petition filed by the college, while posting the matter to July 6 for further hearing.

DU and St Stephen’s have been at loggerheads over the admission policy for the upcoming academic year. While the university has asked institutes to grant admissions to unreserved seats based solely on CUET (Central Universities Common Entrance Test) scores, the college has said it will only give 85% weightage to the entrance test marks and 15% weightage will be given to personal interviews of candidates.

The college has challenged the university’s letter asking it to withdraw the prospectus that had cited the 85:15 admission criterion and warning the college of further action if the prospectus is not withdrawn.

When the counsel for the college urged the court to clarify that the university will not insist on taking action against the college, the bench said, “We are not going to say anything. You may stick to your stand.. If you are not complying with their other directions, you don’t comply with this also. Who is stopping you?”

A petition by a law student, challenging the college’s admission policy for the general candidates, was also filed in the high court a couple of days ago, and the bench had sought the varsity’s and University Grants Commission’s stand in the matter.

The court will now hear both the matters together on July 6.