HC Requests DU's Stand on St. Stephen's Plea Against CUET-based Admissions for Minorities

New Delhi: The high court has requested Delhi University's stand on St. Stephen College's complaint against CUET based admissions for minorities. As the undergraduate admissions are about to begin, the dispute over CUET-based admissions between Delhi University and St. Stephen's College has resurfaced.

According to St Stephen's College, which is represented by attorney Romy Chacko, Delhi University cannot interfere with or take away its constitutionally guaranteed freedom to operate an educational institution and choose students for admission. Earlier, the Delhi High Court requested Delhi institution's to reply to a petition brought by St. Stephen's College which challenged the institution's directive that admission under the minority quota must be based exclusively on the scores of the common university entrance test (CUET), without an interview round.

Based on the argument, a bench consisting of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad issued letters to DU and UGC requesting them to submit their responses. According to an oral statement of the court, the DU communication was "Contrary" to a ruling that were made over the admissions process in the previous year. However, this judgement led it to the conclusion that the college will be required to publish a prospectus.

The decision from the previous year allowed St. Stephen's College to grant admission to the minority candidates by conducting additional interviews. However, it upheld the CUET score's 100% weighting for the non-minority candidates. The (previous) judgement is still in effect. As a result, a notice will be issued, the judge declared.

The respondent's additional solicitor general, Chetan Sharma, argued that there was no immediate need for action at this time and asked the court for more time to file a response to the college's argument. He has argued that DU's decision must require a 100% weightage average on the CUET in order to admit students under the minority quota is both ultra vires (beyond the authority of) and illegal under Article 30 of the Constitution.

Delhi University recently decided that even for the 50% Christian quota of seats, admissions in the current academic year (2023) will be completely based on the CUET score, without any interview and without any additional 15% marks for interview will be authorised, the petition said. As per the petition, the impugned decision of the University denies the petitioner of college and its right to conduct interview rounds for UG admissions in the minority category is contrary to the judgement of the 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 grant admission to the minority category by conducting interviews.

Moreover, for unreserved seats admission to UG programmes, St. Stephen's College last year filed a petition disputing DU's letter demanding it to withdraw the prospectus that awarded CUET and college interviews equal weights of 15% and 85%, accordingly. Last year, the court ordered St. Stephen's College to provide the CUET 2022 score 100% weight while admitting non-minority students to its UG programmes in September 2022, holding that the rights granted to a minority institution under the Constitution cannot be extended to the non-minorities.

However, for the minority communities admission, it was clear that the college has the ability to conduct interviews in addition to the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and it does not require non-minority candidates to additionally endure an interview. Therefore, the case will be discussed again in May, 2023.

Read More:

• DU UG Admission 2023: Application Form, CUET, Courses, Eligibility, Cutoff, Last Date To Apply

• Aspirants Urge NTAUGC Chief to Reopen CUET UG Application Correction Window One Last Time

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