Admissions In Turmoil Delhi University And St Stephen College Clash Over Quota Discrepancies

• 2024-09-09 09:25:33
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A controversy has emerged between Delhi University (DU) and St. Stephen's College concerning the allocation of seats reserved for Christian candidates. DU has alleged that St. Stephen's College exceeded its sanctioned quota for Christian admissions, while the college claims the university failed to facilitate the admission process in a timely manner.

According to a public notice issued by DU, discrepancies were identified during the initial verification of St. Stephen's College's seat allocation list. These issues pertained to the college's allocation of seats for Christian candidates, preventing DU from proceeding with the admission process for these students.

DU's notice further highlighted that seats in popular Bachelor of Science programmes, such as Chemistry and Physics, remained vacant despite the availability of qualified candidates. This has raised questions about St. Stephen's College's adherence to DU's admission policies.

St. Stephen's College Principal John Varghese initially did not respond to DU's allegations. However, he subsequently issued a notice stating that DU had failed to open its admission portal for Christian minority students. This, he claimed, had prevented students from joining classes that commenced on August 29.

Principal Varghese warned that if the university did not open the portal by 5 pm on August 31, the college would be forced to seek legal action to safeguard its students' interests. This development has intensified the ongoing dispute between DU and St. Stephen's College regarding their revised admission policies and seat allocation criteria.

DU's notice revealed that St. Stephen's College had submitted a programme-wise list of shortlisted candidates to the university on August 28. Upon initial review, DU identified several discrepancies requiring immediate clarification from the college. Principal Varghese acknowledged these issues, and DU noted that the list lacked specific details for Bachelor of Arts programme combinations, hindering the seat allocation process.

DU received a revised list from St. Stephen's College on August 31. However, the university found that while no seats were allocated to Christian candidates in certain Bachelor of Arts programme combinations, other combinations exceeded the sanctioned quota. Seats in sought-after science programmes also remained vacant, despite the presence of qualified applicants. DU is currently conducting further validations on these lists.

In a notice dated August 30, Principal Varghese alleged that despite submitting a list of selected candidates to DU on August 24, the university did not respond until August 27. DU requested additional information pertaining to candidate categories, CUET scores, and interview marks for Christian minority applicants.

The college provided the requested details on August 28 and urged DU to upload the selected candidates' names to the CSAS portal so they could complete enrollment and begin classes on August 29. Principal Varghese claimed that DU failed to acknowledge this updated information or respond to subsequent reminders. The purpose of the notice, according to Principal Varghese, was to inform candidates and their parents about a situation impacting several hundred students. He noted that these students had already missed two days of classes.

Admission Update for Jesus and Mary College

In a related development, DU announced the allocation of Christian candidates shortlisted by Jesus and Mary College, another minority institution. Candidates have until September 4 at 4:59 pm to accept their allocations. Colleges will verify and approve online applications until September 5 at 4:59 pm, with the final deadline for fee submission being September 6 at 4:59 pm.

The dispute between Delhi University and St. Stephen's College continues to disrupt the admission process and impact students' ability to commence their studies. Both institutions must work towards a swift resolution to ensure students can continue their education without further delays.