Supreme Court refuses to stay DU semester system

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the semester system introduced by the Delhi University for undergraduate courses.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the semester system introduced by the Delhi University for undergraduate courses.

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A bench headed by justice GS Singhvi said it would not interfere with the Delhi high court order restraining the lecturers and professors from staging any form of protest or demonstration in the campus.

“We are not inclined to stay the (university) notification,” the bench said, forcing the lecturers to withdraw their appeal against the HC order.

Petitioners’ counsel, senior advocate Jayant Bhushan and counsel Tariq Adeeb claimed the university notification was arbitrary and illegal. It was introduced without any proper application of mind, the counsel contended.

It further argued the university chose to push the notification for introduction of semester system from this academic year by invoking certain emergency powers vested in the varsity’s vice-chancellor.

Bhushan submitted that the system was being introduced despite strong protest from both the teaching community and the students.

The arguments, however, failed to convince the bench that first said it would dismiss the petition. It later allowed the petitioners to withdraw it.