HC allows 7 students to attend classes at St Stephen’s College

Once again, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed seven students, who had sought admission to St Stephen’s College through seats allocated by Delhi University (DU), to attend classes at the college. However, the court instructed the university not to allocate any additional seats until further notice.

Lists matter for further hearing on January 28

A Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued a notice to the university and the students, seeking their responses on an appeal filed by St Stephen’s College. The college has challenged a single-judge’s order that granted admission to the seven students based on the DU seat allocations.

The court has given both parties four weeks to respond and has scheduled the next hearing for January 28, 2025.

“The seven students who approached the court are permitted to attend classes until further orders,” the Bench stated. However, the university has been directed not to make any further allocations.

On September 6, a single judge had ruled in favour of the students, noting that they had faced undue hardships due to an ongoing dispute between the university and the college over admissions.

“The petitioners were not at fault. The indecision on the part of the college has left these students in a state of uncertainty, preventing them from taking any further action,” the judge remarked.

Highlighting the students’ dilemma, the judge said, “On the one hand, the petitioners faced the challenge of uncertainty over securing admission to their preferred college and on the other, they were deprived of the opportunity to select and opt for their second-choice college.”

According to the students’ petition, their admissions to BA Economics (Honours) and BA programme courses were not completed despite being allotted seats by DU through its Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). Three of the students had applied under the “single girl child” quota, a special reservation in the university’s admission policy.

“Despite being allocated seats, our admissions were not completed within the stipulated time,” the students argued in court. The petitioners claimed that St Stephen’s College had failed to finalise their admissions, leaving them in limbo.

While DU backed the students’ plea, St Stephen’s College opposed the university’s stance. The college argued that it could not admit students beyond its sanctioned limit and was not obligated to accept all candidates allotted seats through DU’s CSAS.

“The university cannot dictate the admissions. We can only admit students within the sanctioned limits of our programmes,” the college said.