Delhi High Court orders Stephen’s to consider only CUET scores for non-minority students

College asked to follow DU’s admission policy, issue fresh prospectus

The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered St. Stephen’s College to issue a fresh prospectus giving 100% weightage to Common University Entrance Test (CUET) score for admission to students from the non-minority category applying to undergraduate courses.

St. Stephen’s College has been at loggerheads with Delhi University over its admission criteria for undergraduate courses, with either party refusing to back off. The college, asserting its minority institution character, has accorded 85% weightage to CUET scores and 15% to interviews for all candidates, a stand strongly opposed by DU, which wants interviews to be conducted only for the reserved category students.

On Monday, a Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad directed St. Stephen’s College to do away with the process of conducting interviews for non-minority students and to follow the admission policy formulated by Delhi University.

The Bench observed, “The conduct of an interview over and above the CUET has the potential of introducing subjectivity and bias into the admission process, thereby eroding the very purpose for which CUET is being brought into play.”

The court, however, rejected the argument raised by Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee, appearing for University Grants Commission (UGC), that even for seats reserved for the minority community, the selection must be made solely from the merit list.

“It is for the institution to decide what would be best for the minority community, and for that purpose conducting an interview, which has been held to be free and transparent by the apex court in St. Stephen’s College vs. University of Delhi, cannot be said to be contrary to the interest of the minority institution,” the court added.

It also ruled that DU was well within its right to formulate policies regulating the rights of St. Stephen’s College, which is an aided educational institution, to admit students if it was of the opinion that such admission policies may potentially lead to maladministration and lower the standard of excellence of the institution.