SC Refuses To Interfere In DU’s St Stephen College Admission Process, Asks Delhi HC to Expedite Process – News18

Supreme Court has refused to intervene in the admission process of Delhi University’s St Stephen College. The top court ruled that any interferences will lead to confusion among students especially when the admission process is already started. The bench headed by Justices AS Bopanna and PS Narasimha, directed Delhi High Court to expedite the process to create certainty related to admission process among students.

The alteration occurred as St. Stephens College contested the University of Delhi’s ruling that the Christian quota seats must be filled solely on the basis of CUET results and without the need for an interview. The Delhi High Court’s two-judge bench ruled that the state has the authority to create rules for the management of minority institutions. However, the rules must serve to advance the interests of the minority community. As reported by The Hindu, the order stated, “However, it is for the minority institution to decide what is best for the minority community.”

The court order further stated that the executive committee’s decision to insist on 100% weighting for CUET scores “prima facie shows a complete lack of reasoning as to why the ruling of this court has been given a go-by by DU and demonstrates non-application of mind on their part while making the disputed decision.”

The High Court was informed that DU’s notification was against a ruling made by the High Court in September 2022. According to that ruling from the High Court, interviews for admission through non-reserved categories cannot be given weightage by the college. Tushar Mehta, the solicitor general for Delhi University, emphasized the subjective nature of the interview process. He noted that allowing the same would result in “payment seats.”

The High Court had made it plain that college admissions would be dependent to the resolution of the dispute, thus the Supreme Court declined to reverse the interim ruling.