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St. Stephen’s College and the University are battling again on the prospectus of admission procedure for minority students. The Delhi High Court deferred St. Stephen’s plea against the university’s notification for securing admissions solely based on CUET scores, including minority students.

On 24 May 2023, the Delhi High Court deferred St. Stephen’s College and Jesus and Mary College’s (JMC) plea insisting against Delhi University’s (DU) notification to conduct the admissions solely based on the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) test scores. The petition has been deferred to 23 August 2023, with the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Yogesh Singh stating that the admission process will go forward based on the notification issued by the University with the CUET being the sole criteria for admissions.

They can go ahead with the admission, but the university will not recognise the admission

-the Vice Chancellor said while asked about the admission prospectus of St. Stephen’s where 50% of the seats are guaranteed for minority students based on an 85% weightage to CUET and a 15% weightage to the interviews.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma was also listed for hearing on the same date when JMC filed for a similar petition. A woman named Sharon Ann George also filed a petition against the conduction of interviews for minority students for admission in addition to the interviews.

All three matters we cannot touch. There is an SLP (special leave petition). We will not touch it. The matter is pending before the apex court

-commented the bench, also comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad.

 The court stated that the parties can approach the top court to redress their grievances.

It has been brought to the notice of the court that against the judgement (in cases about admission to St Stephen’s College), an SLP has been filed in the apex court. In light of the SLP, hearing of cases is deferred

-stated the court.

In the academic year of 2022-23, the university and St. Stephen’s were involved in a legal case where St. Stephen’s insisted on conducting interviews of 15% weightage for all students rather than only the minority students. However, the university permitted them to only conduct interviews for 50% of the minority students.

The high court ruled in favour of the university and issued a fresh admission prospectus instructing the colleges to admit students based on 100% CUET scores. St. Stephen’s filed a separate appeal before the Supreme Court contending that as a minority educational institution, its right to conduct the admission process can not be disrupted in any way.

The impugned decision of the University denying the petitioner College its right to conduct interviews for admission to undergraduate courses in the minority category is contrary to the judgment of this Hon’ble Court dt. 12.09.2022 in W.P. (C) No. 8814/2022 in St. Stephen’s College Vs University of Delhi which recognized the Petitioner’s right to select students of minority category by conducting interviews–the petition stated.

The petition was subsequently rejected. The apex court also directed all colleges to secure admissions for the general category based on CUET scores only. The college later conducted interviews carrying a weightage of 15% only for Christian students.

For the academic year 2023-24, the admissions will be secured solely based on CUET scores. Owing to this, the university stated that one college out of the 62 colleges can not conduct a separate admission process and a uniform procedure needs to be implemented across all colleges and student categories.

For Christian minority candidates, the college will adopt the marks secured in the CUET with 85% weightage and the college’s interview for shortlisted candidates with a weightage of 15%. This is as per and by the judgement of the division bench of the Hon’ble Delhi High Court dated 12.09.2022. The Christian minority applicant must register on St. Stephen’s College’s admissions portal as and when the registration form is ready

-stated the prospectus issued by St. Stephen’s for the conduction of the academic year 2023-24 admissions.

For the general category candidates, admission will be solely based on CUET scores. JMC is yet to take a stance on how it will proceed with the admission process.

 

Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

Sri Sidhvi Dindi

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Delhi University yet again is at loggerheads with its minority-administered south campus Jesus and Mary College on the decision to do away with the interview in the upcoming admission season for its minority students.  Delhi University cannot take over admissions under Minority quota, states JMC plea.

Jesus and Mary College has filed a High Court petition in an effort to overturn Delhi University’s decision about the admission procedure for the academic year 2023-2024. According to a notification released by the University on December 30, 2022, The Executive Council of Delhi University made a decision to give admissions at both UG and PG levels solely on the basis of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) score. This policy also covers admissions under reserved categories and minority quotas. As confirmed by numerous other sources, the university intends to use only CUET scores as the only criterion for admission regardless of any category.

Conflicting views have emerged between the minority colleges and the University as a result of this decision. Advocate Romy Chacko advances JMC’s argument which states that is in clear violation of Article 30, of the Constitution of India to insist on giving 100 per cent weightage to CUET scores under the 50 per cent minority quotas.

Minorities have the fundamental right to establish and administer educational institutions under Article 30. Hence, the plea declares that University cannot interfere with their right or take absolute control of admissions as it is Ultra vires ( an act beyond one’s legal capacity or authority ) and unconstitutional.

A similar concern was raised by St. Stephens in September 2022 which sparked a legal battle between the college and the University where the college wanted to conduct interviews for the admission process apart from the CUET scores. In their plea, St. Stephens insisted on giving 85 per cent to CUET scores and the rest 15 per cent to its interview round for non-Christian applicants. While they stressed this was their right as a minority institution to take decisions independently, The High Court ordered the college to concentrate only on CUET merit for admitting non-minority students adding that the interview process can be carried out for the minority students. The college appealed the High Court decision to the Supreme Court after that.

The JMC plea makes a reference to this High Court decision dated September 12 and notes that while the St. Stephens case is still pending with the Supreme Court, this decision of the Executive Council is in conflict with the previous High Court Judgement and suffers from ‘total non-application of mind’.

On Tuesday, the matter was listed before a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad. The Delhi High Court is now set to hear this plea by Jesus and Mary College on May 24, 2023. Notices for the same have been sent to Delhi University and UGC.

Read Also: St. Stephen’s Supreme Council Row Escalates, Delhi High Court Seeks Response

Image Credits – Jesus and Mary official website

Priya Agrawal

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Our Indian education system’s school boards can be as temperamental as Simon Cowell’s manner of judging contestants at the X Factor: Whimsical and capricious. Acknowledging this anomaly, the University of Delhi (DU) allows scope for admission through the Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) quota.

PERSONALISED EXPERIENCE

Taran Gulati, an ECA candidate who was admitted to DU through the ECA category ‘Divinity for Minority Colleges’ in 2016 told DU Beat, “Since only a few colleges accept students through this category, not many apply for the same. Moreover, very few seats are available for this category.”

She added, “However, this doesn’t affect the standard of competition. There is considerable competition, and the preparation required is remarkable. This is because you have to be knowledgeable in the elemental aspects of Sikhism, as well as be skilled at cultural aspects such as reciting the Ragas or Gurbani.”

COMMON ECA GUIDELINES

  1. Trials will be held at two levels: (i) Preliminary trials (ii) Final Trials.
  2. The trials of both these levels shall be the conducted by an ECA Committee appointed by the University Admission Committee.
  3. “Candidates will get a relaxation of only up to 15% in cut-offs if they apply for the ECA quota,” says Suchitra Gupta, Deputy Dean of Culture and Youth Affairs in DU.

This implies that not more than 15% relaxation in academic merit vis-à-vis unreserved category applicants (for the last relevant cut-off) may be given for admission to specific programmes. In simpler terms, if the cut-off for a particular course is 90%, then the ECA candidate will get a relaxation of up to 15%. This means, to be eligible for admission to a course whose last relevant cut-off was 90%, the candidate must have scored at least 75% in his qualifying examination.

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

  1. No accompanists will be allowed.
  2. The students should be prepared in the following:
  • Ragas and contributors of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
  • Teachings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
  • ‘Nitnem Banis’
  • Concept of Haume, Naam, Langar, Sewa in Sikhism and the Sikh code of conduct
  • Historical Gurudwaras of Delhi and their history
  • Ardaas’
  • Playing the instruments while reciting Gurbani
  1. An applicant being selected in the final list does not guarantee admission. Admission is subject to the availability of seats in a course and college.

COLLEGES WHICH ADMIT STUDENTS THROUGH THIS CATEGORY

Only 4 minority colleges admit students through this ECA category. The colleges are – Mata Sundri College, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College (SGND), Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College (SGTB) and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce.

SOME TIPS TO ACE THE TRIAL

  1. Candidates must understand the essence of the ‘Nitnem Banis’ which is a collaboration of different Banis that were designated to be read by Sikhs every day. The ‘Nitnem Banis’ usually include the  ‘Panj Bania’.
  2. Candidates may take reference from http://www.searchsikhism.com/concept-of-guru , which will provide them with comprehensive guidance in the key concepts of Sikhism
  3. The trials almost always have questions revolving around the historical ‘Gurudwaras’ of Delhi. To prepare for the same, candidates can take reference from https://www.worldgurudwaras.com/historical-gurudwaras/india/delhi

THE TRIALS

  1. The preliminary round will be held on the 14th and 15th of June 2018, from 9 am, at Kamla Nehru College.
  2. Following this, the list of the short-listed candidates for the final round will be notified on the university website.
  3. In the final round, the applicants must carry all the relevant certificates in original (and a self-attested photocopy) for evaluation. The certificates will account for 25% of the total weightage while the trials in the final round will account for 75% of the weightage.

OBLIGATIONS

The selected candidates will have to submit an Undertaking at the time of admission stating that the candidate will perform for the College for the entire period of the candidate‘s undergraduate programme of study. The college has a right to cancel their admissions if they violate the undertaking during their stay in college.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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