Delhi HC Permits Minority Category Student To Attend Classes In St. Stephen’s

The Delhi High Court on Monday has allowed a minority category student to attend classes amid a dispute over seat allocations between St. Stephen’s College and Delhi University.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was reviewing appeals filed by both the college and the student after a single judge denied the student’s admission.

In its ruling, the court emphasized that no further allocation of minority quota seats would occur until further orders. The bench noted that the single judge had determined that 18 students were entitled to admission and that one seat remained vacant in the combination chosen by the appellant student.

Consequently, the court permitted the student to attend classes in the interim.

The high court remarked, “Let any such vacant seats go waste,” signaling its intent to ensure fairness in the ongoing dispute.

The case originated from a judgment delivered on October 14 by a single judge, who affirmed that 18 out of 19 students qualified for admission to the college based on merit. The college previously requested DU to approve and upload the list of minority community candidates recommended for admission.

The student involved in the appeal argued that a seat had recently become vacant after another student declined it, leading him to seek admission in the Bachelor of Arts program.

DU, however, opposed the appeals, asserting that the college could not arbitrarily alter its seat allocations.

In its response, DU claimed that St. Stephen’s College had assigned seats not according to the established seat matrix, but rather based on its “whims and fancies.” Conversely, the college defended its admissions process, stating that the enrollment of the 19 students fell within the approved “sanctioned intake” and did not exceed the allowed limit.

As the situation unfolds, the high court’s interim order allows the student to pursue his education while maintaining a careful watch over the college’s seat allocation practices.

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