New Delhi: In a major relief to seven students, the Delhi High Court on Friday directed St Stephen's College to grant them admission on the basis of seats allotted by the Delhi University, saying the candidates were not at fault but They had to face inappropriate situations. difficulties due to an ongoing dispute between the institution and the university.
The court said that indecision on the part of the college had left the petitioners in a state of uncertainty, preventing them from taking further steps at that time.
"On the one hand, the petitioners were faced with the challenge of uncertainty in getting admission in their preferred university, St Stephen's, and on the other hand, they were also deprived of the opportunity to select and opt for the university of their second election. "The prolonged 'under process' status effectively blocked their participation in subsequent allocation rounds, causing them to miss out on other potential options to secure a seat," said Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
The court, which said the case reveals the uncertain situation of the candidates, issued the verdict on two separate petitions filed by the seven students.
The court said that since the calculation of seats made by the university by taking the fraction to the upper side to round off the number of seats has not been set aside or declared defective by the court, the university should grant admission to the petitioners in accordance with The placement policy of DU noted that the university itself had followed this policy in previous academic years.
"In the opinion of this court, the petitioners were not at fault at any point during the admission process but they had to face undue hardship due to the ongoing dispute between the university and the college regarding the seat matrix and manner of calculate the fraction. while calculating the number of places allocated according to the university policy," he said.
The seven students had requested that the university provide them seats for the courses for which they were qualified. They had sought admission under the 'single girls quota' fixed by the DU.
According to the university's admission information bulletin, a place in each program is reserved in each university under the "supernumerary quota for an unmarried girl."
The petitioners had claimed that despite the university allocating them seats in the college for the BA Economics (Honours) and BA program courses, their admissions were not completed within the stipulated time.While the university had supported the requests, the faculty opposed them.
The university objected to the DU's stand that it was obliged to admit all candidates who were allotted seats through the university's Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). The university said it can admit students only within the authorized limit.
The court, in its verdict, noted that the seat matrix for the current academic session was prepared and sent by the university itself to the DU. It said that the seat matrix offered by the university clearly indicates that it had offered 13 different degree programmes, each with its own specific allocation of places for various categories of students.
"The university has allocated different authorized seats for each of these programs, both for Christian minority students and for non-reserved or non-minority students," the court said.
It said it cannot accept the university's argument that these 13 courses are simply combinations of different subjects within one bachelor's program and should not be treated as separate bachelor's programs. The court finds that these 13 bachelor's programs should be considered separate programs. and distinct for the purposes of seat allocation and admissions in both the Christian minority and non-reserved categories, it said.
He also rejected the college's argument that the CSAS has no legal backing.
"This court holds that even otherwise, St Stephen's College has never challenged the CSAS (UG)-2024 system created by the DU for the purpose of allocating seats and admission in universities," it said. The court said that in The last two years, the university accepted the policy of 20 percent additional students in the initial rounds of counseling and therefore increased the allocation for Christian students similarly.
For the current academic year, the court noted that the university had agreed to allocate only 5 percent additional students to the faculty.
The court said that the university had agreed to allocate places under the "single girls" quota for the various programs it offers. "Therefore, the college cannot now take an adversarial position before this court to argue that the quota is unconstitutional, when he himself has adhered to the said policy and admitted candidates under the said quota, without raising objections or challenging the vires of the same," he said.
The court said the allocation made by the DU under the single girl quota in the university for different degree programs under the CSAS "cannot be considered illegal or arbitrary".
The court ordered that in future, universities having any grievance regarding the seat matrix will convey their issues to the DU authorities at least three months before the start of the admission process for a new academic session. Representation will be decided by the university within two months and this will ensure that students do not face any problem in attending their classes, he added.
The court said that indecision on the part of the college had left the petitioners in a state of uncertainty, preventing them from taking further steps at that time.
"On the one hand, the petitioners were faced with the challenge of uncertainty in getting admission in their preferred university, St Stephen's, and on the other hand, they were also deprived of the opportunity to select and opt for the university of their second election. "The prolonged 'under process' status effectively blocked their participation in subsequent allocation rounds, causing them to miss out on other potential options to secure a seat," said Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
The court, which said the case reveals the uncertain situation of the candidates, issued the verdict on two separate petitions filed by the seven students.
The court said that since the calculation of seats made by the university by taking the fraction to the upper side to round off the number of seats has not been set aside or declared defective by the court, the university should grant admission to the petitioners in accordance with The placement policy of DU noted that the university itself had followed this policy in previous academic years.
"In the opinion of this court, the petitioners were not at fault at any point during the admission process but they had to face undue hardship due to the ongoing dispute between the university and the college regarding the seat matrix and manner of calculate the fraction. while calculating the number of places allocated according to the university policy," he said.
The seven students had requested that the university provide them seats for the courses for which they were qualified. They had sought admission under the 'single girls quota' fixed by the DU.
According to the university's admission information bulletin, a place in each program is reserved in each university under the "supernumerary quota for an unmarried girl."
The petitioners had claimed that despite the university allocating them seats in the college for the BA Economics (Honours) and BA program courses, their admissions were not completed within the stipulated time.While the university had supported the requests, the faculty opposed them.
The university objected to the DU's stand that it was obliged to admit all candidates who were allotted seats through the university's Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). The university said it can admit students only within the authorized limit.
The court, in its verdict, noted that the seat matrix for the current academic session was prepared and sent by the university itself to the DU. It said that the seat matrix offered by the university clearly indicates that it had offered 13 different degree programmes, each with its own specific allocation of places for various categories of students.
"The university has allocated different authorized seats for each of these programs, both for Christian minority students and for non-reserved or non-minority students," the court said.
It said it cannot accept the university's argument that these 13 courses are simply combinations of different subjects within one bachelor's program and should not be treated as separate bachelor's programs. The court finds that these 13 bachelor's programs should be considered separate programs. and distinct for the purposes of seat allocation and admissions in both the Christian minority and non-reserved categories, it said.
He also rejected the college's argument that the CSAS has no legal backing.
"This court holds that even otherwise, St Stephen's College has never challenged the CSAS (UG)-2024 system created by the DU for the purpose of allocating seats and admission in universities," it said. The court said that in The last two years, the university accepted the policy of 20 percent additional students in the initial rounds of counseling and therefore increased the allocation for Christian students similarly.
For the current academic year, the court noted that the university had agreed to allocate only 5 percent additional students to the faculty.
The court said that the university had agreed to allocate places under the "single girls" quota for the various programs it offers. "Therefore, the college cannot now take an adversarial position before this court to argue that the quota is unconstitutional, when he himself has adhered to the said policy and admitted candidates under the said quota, without raising objections or challenging the vires of the same," he said.
The court said the allocation made by the DU under the single girl quota in the university for different degree programs under the CSAS "cannot be considered illegal or arbitrary".
The court ordered that in future, universities having any grievance regarding the seat matrix will convey their issues to the DU authorities at least three months before the start of the admission process for a new academic session. Representation will be decided by the university within two months and this will ensure that students do not face any problem in attending their classes, he added.
