St Stephen’s College reissues a dormant 1881-era shorts restriction under new principal Susan Elias, sparking student protests, condemnation from NSUI and KYS, and no enforcement action so far.
Delhi University’s St Stephen’s College has restricted students from wearing shorts in classrooms, tutorials, laboratories, the chapel, the assembly hall, the library and the dining hall, under a notice dated July 26 and signed by Principal Susan Elias. Titled “Campus Regulations & Guidelines,” the circular directs “all Junior Members” to comply and separately reiterates a smoke-free campus policy and a requirement to carry ID cards, including for dining hall entry.
The new academic session began two days later, on July 28. Several first-year students arrived at the morning assembly, and elsewhere on campus, wearing shorts in defiance of the notice, according to The Tribune, which reported that the notice had prompted a formal complaint from student organisations.
NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar said the Constitution protects a citizen’s right to decide their own clothing, calling the circular an intrusion on personal liberty. The Krantikari Yuva Sangathan separately termed the directive “moral policing” and demanded its withdrawal.
Several students and at least one faculty member told reporters the shorts restriction was not new—it had long been observed informally, particularly around the dining hall and the principal’s office, but had never before been issued as a formal, written rule.
A student at the college, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the prohibition predates the current administration, tracing to the college’s founding in 1881, and was listed in the residence handbook issued to hostellers on joining—but was not enforced, except intermittently at the dining hall. Elias, who took charge in June, did not introduce a new rule, the student said, but reissued an existing one. The student said the college has previously suspended or debarred hundreds of students over attendance shortfalls and that no disciplinary action has followed the July 28 protest, despite the principal reportedly being present on campus that day.
DU Beat reported that the notice, issued July 26, took effect with the start of the new academic session on July 28 and also restates existing rules on cleanliness and compulsory identity cards.
Read Also: Student Bodies Demand Withdrawal of St. Stephen’s Shorts Restriction
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