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This petition had been filed against the order, on 11th July, by a single judge dismissing the plea of the professors, challenging inclusion of Supreme Council members in the admission process.

The bench consisting of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued a notice to the Delhi University (DU), St Stephen’s College, its Supreme Council, its Principal and the University Grants Commission seeking their stand by 16th October. This comes after three professors filed a complaint against the inclusion of a member of the Supreme Council in the matters of selection of Christian students.

The Supreme Council is much more powerful than the governing body. It comprises of the clergy and members of Church of North India and also includes its nominees.

The petitioners — N P Ashley, Abhishek Singh and Nandita Narain — who are members of the college’s governing body were opposed to the alleged “interference” of the church in the admission process, claiming it was against the norms of the institute.

Including the Supreme Council would make the decisions of the governing body invalid, as it hold greater power and including its member into the selection committee could mean an unfair analysis of students who are selected. Merit would end up becoming secondary and faculty would have very limited say in the admission process.

The college that takes up its students through a rigorous entrance and interview engages in the same to filter out the most deserving candidates for the seat. This would not be possible if a Supreme Council member becomes a part as it would directly affect this process of selection.

According to their petition before the single judge, the Supreme Council, in a meeting held on 12th March, had decided to have an additional Christian member, nominated by it or the governing body, to be part of the interview panel.

(Extracts from Hindustan Times)

 

Featured Image Credits: Shawn Wilson

By Stephen Mathew

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In response to the petition filed by the professors of St. Stephens College, opposing the inclusion of a member from the Church of North India (CNI) in the admission process of Christian students, the Delhi High Court has sought response from the Varsity.

The Delhi High Court, on Tuesday, 24th September, requested a response from the Delhi University (DU) and St. Stephen’s College on a plea opposing the inclusion of a members from the Institute’s Supreme Council in the interview panel for admission of Christian students.

The Delhi High Court sent a notice to St. Stephen’s College following a plea by three faculty members challenging the decision of the College to have an additional member, from its Supreme Council, in the interview panel for admissions of students.

The decision was challenged in the High Court by the members of the Governing Body of the college- Nandita Narain, Associate Professor from Department of Mathematics, N.P. Ashley, Assistant Professor from the Department of English, and Abhishek Singh, Assistant Professor from the Department of Economics, for allegedly going against the Constitution of the College.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C. Hari Shankar has issued a notice to the DU, the College, its Supreme Council, its Principal, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) seeking their stand by 16th October on the petition by three professors of the institute.

The petition filed by the Governing Body opposed the increased involvement of the CNI in the admission process by including a member of the Supreme Council in the interview panel. The Supreme Council includes six members from the Governing Body of the CNI. The Chairperson of both the Governing Body and the Supreme Council is the Bishop of Delhi, Bishop  Warris K. Massih,  and the Member Secretary of both is the Principal of the college, Professor John Varghese.

According to the petitioners this decision is in direct violation of the Clause 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the College, which reads

  1. The Supreme Council of the college shall have the control of the religious and moral instruction of students of the college and of all matters affecting its religious character as a Christian College of the Church of North India; and, in addition, shall appoint, after proper advertisement, the Principal of the College who shall be a member of the Church of North India or of a church that is in communion with the Church of North India.”
  2. The Supreme Council of the college shall have no jurisdiction over the administration of the college.”

The response by the University, St. Stephens College, Supreme Council, and the UGC is awaited, which would be clear only by 16th October.

Feature Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat

SriyaRane

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On 13th May 2019, in a meeting of Staff Council, John Varghese, the Principal of St. Stephen’s College announced that the interview panel for selection of students for admission will include a member of the Supreme Council (SC).

Admissions 2019 are around the corner and in the midst of all the preparation John Varghese, the Principal, St. Stephen’s College announced a decision increasing the involvement of Church of North India (CNI) in the admission process.

The SC of the college includes six members from CNI. The Chairperson of both the Governing Body (GB) and SC is the Bishop of Diocese of Delhi, CNI, Warris Masih, and the Member Secretary of both these committees is the Principal, Professor John Varghese. According to the statement released by the representatives of the GB, Nandita Narain (Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics), N.P. Ashley (Assistant Professor, Department of English), and Abhishek Singh (Assistant Professor, Department of Economics), this decision is directly against Clauses 4 and 5 of the College Constitution which read as follows:

  1. The SC of the college shall have the control of the religious and moral instruction of students of the college and of all matters affecting its religious character as a Christian College of the Church of North India; and, in addition, shall appoint, after proper advertisement, the Principal of the College who shall be a member of the CNI or of a church that is in communion with the CNI.
  2. The SC of the college shall have no jurisdiction over the administration of the college.

The statement also stated that all the teachers present at the meeting protested against the unilateral announcement. As stated by them, this decision is not only in violation of College Constitution but also the 1992 judgement of the Supreme Court of India that upheld the Minority status of the college according to which, the college was allowed to have “a separate admission process including an interview with 15% weightage only because the interviews were conducted solely by the teachers.” If this decision comes through, then it will be the first time that a non-academic person from outside the faculty of St. Stephen’s College will sit in the admission interviews.

The governing body has also called out a conflict of interest in the Principal bringing in another member of SC into the interview panel, as it is, the SC that selects the Principal, and will also take the decision about the renewal of his appointment for another term of five years.

On the other hand, Bishop Warris K Masih of CNI told the Indian Express, “It doesn’t matter if it has never happened before. The college belongs to us. The teacher representatives have no right to object.” When asked about the violation of College Constitution, he stated, “We just felt like that. We are concerned about the 50% Christian students; the other students will go as always.”

The aforementioned representatives of the Governing Body, in response to this decision, have called out for support from its students to participate in a protest on 17th May at 12:30 p.m. near the Main Portico in the Campus and demand its rollback. The statement also calls this decision ‘illegal and unacademic’ and according to them, this decision could compromise the integrity of the admission process.

Speaking to DU Beat, Sidharth Yadav, State Secretary, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said, “The decision of including Fathers from Church (Members of the SC) to the admission committee is arbitrary and condemnable. This would weaken the secular fabric of the university. This is not only against the constitution of the college but also against the principles laid down in India’s constitution.” He further added that if the decision is not withdrawn, the ABVP would be forced to mobilise the student community to raise their voice against this autocratic decision.

 

 

Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat

Sakshi Arora

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