St. Stephen's can't bring in bias by conducting interviews for non-minority students: DU to HC

New Delhi: The Delhi University Wednesday contended in the Delhi High Court that St. Stephen's College cannot be allowed to bring in subjectivity bias and discrimination by conducting interviews for students of non-minority communities.

However, the college maintained that it was following the same procedure for admission of all students by giving 85 per cent weightage to CUET and 15 per cent to interview.

The submissions by Delhi University and St. Stephen's College were made in separate affidavits filed in a PIL by a law student who has sought direction to the college to take admission on its 'unreserved seats' in undergraduate courses only based on marks received by students in the common university entrance test (CUET), as mandated by the varsity.

Another petition was filed by the college challenging the university's letter asking it to withdraw its prospectus for the undergraduate courses for the academic year 2022-23, giving 85 per cent weightage to CUET and 15 per cent weightage to college interview for its unreserved seats.

On Wednesday, the matter came up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad which listed the pleas for further hearing on July 15 after being informed that Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee, who represents UGC, was down with COVID-19.

The varsity, in its affidavit, said the law is well settled that aided minority educational institutions cannot admit students under the 'unreserved category' as per its own whims

and fancies.