The Tribune Impact: Six students win court battle for admission to St Stephen’s College

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 24

In a dramatic turn of events, six out of 22 students, who were initially denied admission to St Stephen’s College, have secured their places at the prestigious institution following a court ruling. The students had challenged the college’s decision in court after the college failed to honour their CUET-based allocations.

The successful petitioners — Hargun Singh Ahluwalia, Aleena Imraan, Gursanjan Singh Natt, Alok Ranjan Singh, Nishika Sahoo and Prisha Tayal — received provisional admission to St Stephen’s College after the Delhi High Court intervened.

2 part of single girl child scheme

• The court’s order mandated that the students be granted provisional admission based on their CUET scores
• The ruling led to the reopening of the Delhi University (DU) portal for these six students to complete their admission process.
• Among the six students who secured admission, Nishika Sahoo and Prisha Tayal were part of the single girl child scheme

The court’s order mandated that the students be granted provisional admission based on their CUET scores. The High Court’s directive stated, “This court directs that the petitioners herein will be granted provisional admission in respondent no. 3 college (St Stephen’s College) as per allocation by respondent no. 1 Delhi University.”

The decision followed The Tribune report on Wednesday, which highlighted the plight of these students as they waited outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office in protest. The court’s ruling led to the reopening of the Delhi University (DU) portal for these six students to complete their admission process.

‘Not everyone can afford to go to court’

Twenty-two students were denied admission despite their university allocation. Not everyone could afford to go to court, whether due to legal fees or distance. Does that make them any less deserving? — Anantjeet Verma, Father of a student who didn’t get admission

Chamandeep Singh Natt, father of petitioner Gursanjan Singh Natt, expressed gratitude, saying, “The High Court has ruled that the college must honour the CUET allocations. On Saturday, the DU portal was reopened for fee submission, and now all six students who pursued the court case have secured their admissions.”

According to the court order, “The respondent no. 1 — University of Delhi — will open its portal for depositing fees, only for the petitioners herein, tomorrow morning between 10 am and 4 pm.”

Among the six students who secured admission, Nishika Sahoo and Prisha Tayal were part of the single girl child scheme. However, 10 more female students under this scheme are still awaiting confirmation of their admissions.

One student, who did not benefit from the court ruling, is Anantjeet Verma, who was not part of the petitioners. His father, Nitin Verma, voiced his frustration, saying, “Twenty-two students were denied admission despite their university allocation. Not everyone could afford to go to court, whether due to legal fees or distance. Does that make them any less deserving?”

Verma added that he has reached out to the college dean for clarification on the remaining 16 students’ admissions. “I’ve written to the dean inquiring about the admissions status of the other students. We are waiting for the second list and hoping to secure a seat based on the marks and allocations given by the university. My child deserves this opportunity just as much as the others,” he said.

As the situation unfolds, the focus remains on securing a fair resolution for all affected students, with many still hopeful for a positive outcome.