Delhi HC issues notice to DU on plea of St. Stephen's College in admission criteria issue

New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to Delhi University (DU) on the plea of St. Stephen's College challenging the University's direction to withdraw the prospectus for admission.

The bench of acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi issued the notice. The matter has been listed for hearing in July.

Advocate Romy Chacko submitted before the bench was listed before the single bench on 31 May. DU was directed to take instructions, the matter was listed on Thursday.

The acting Chief Justice said, "You are not complying with other directions also."

The counsel for the college sought a Passover saying that Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal is in Supreme Court.

The bench said, "Why we should waste our time today. We gave a date for July 6 for the hearing. That's before the exam and admission process."

Advocate Chacko said that DU has written a letter stating, "We must withdraw the prospectus and give public clarification."

The bench said, "If your stand is that you are entitled to give 15 per cent marks for the interview. Then don't implement the DU circular right now. We will hear the matter. No consequences are falling on you till the next date of hearing. You make a stick to your stand."

On Thursday a single judge bench had listed the petition moved by the St. Stephen's college before the bench of acting chief justice for Friday.

The petitioner college has moved a plea against the order of the Delhi University to grant admission in undergraduate courses through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and to withdraw the prospectus issued by the college. The High Court noted that a PIL has been filed on the related issue.

Justice Sanjeev Narula had listed the petition before the bench of acting chief justice after hearing the initial submissions by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma.

ASG had submitted that a PIL challenging the college admission criteria has been filed by a law student and yesterday notice has been issued to the college also.
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It is listed before the bench on July 6.

Advocate Romy Chacko's counsel for the petitioner college had objected to the submission made by the ASG. He said that this court has directed the respondent to take instruction on the petition.

Meanwhile, the PIL was managed to be filed to effect the hearing on this petition. Even the petitioner college was not served a copy of the advance notice on the PIL.

The bench had said as the issue is almost the same, therefore the matters should be heard by a bench, and not by two benches. This petition is listed before the acting chief justice for tomorrow.

The petitioner college has challenged the DU order to withdraw the prospectus issued by it and to grant admission through CUET. It is stated by the petitioner that they are conducting interviews with students seeking admission to the college. This practice has been for so many years and it was allowed.

On the other hand, the respondents had said that the interviews were allowed to be conducted as there was no common admission entrance was not there. Now the CUET is there. The admission granted by the criteria adopted by the college will not be granted recognition.

A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Sachin Datta on Wednesday had issued a notice in the PIL filed by a law Student Konika Poddar.

The PIL had challenged the decision of St. Stephen's college to conduct an interview round for admission to the unreserved category for the academic session 2022-23.

The bench had directed the St. Stephen's College, Delhi University (DU) and University Grant Commission to file their response in four weeks. The matter has been listed for July 6, 2022.

The petition filed through Advocate Akash Vajpai stated that taking interviews where the award of marks is left to the subjective satisfaction of the selection committee gives ample room for discrimination and manipulation.

It is stated that admission in DU's undergraduate courses is ordinarily based on a candidate's intermediate marks and in the last couple of years, the cut off for admission in some of the most sought colleges has remained 100 per cent. Now, a committee constituted by DU has recommended that admission may be carried out through a Common University Entrance Test (CUET).

PIL stated that DU policy specifically says that admission in the general category seats in its minority colleges like St Stephen's will be done only on the basis of marks obtained in CUET while in admission on reserved seats those colleges can give 15 per cent weightage to the interview and 85 per cent weightage to the CUET score at the time of admission.

It is sought that admission should be granted according to the DU's recommendations. (ANI)

Source: National