Delhi HC allows admission to 18 students under Christian quota at St. Stephen’s College

New Delhi [India], October 14 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday permitted 18 out of 19 students to gain admission to St. Stephen’s College under the minority Christian quota for its undergraduate program. The court has instructed that these students can start attending classes tomorrow.

The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma ruled in favour of St. Stephen’s College, granting admission to Christian candidates in its undergraduate programs. However, it was found that one student exceeded the 5% allocation limit.

The bench stated that Article 30(1), which grants minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions, is not an absolute right. It emphasised that even assisted minority institutions must adhere to governmental regulations.

The court noted that St. Stephen’s College cannot assert unrestricted authority over the rules established by the affiliated university.

Senior Advocate Romy Chacko, along with Advocates Karthik Venu and Akshat Singh, represented St. Stephen’s College. Advocates Mohinder JS Rupal and Hardik Rupal appeared on behalf of Delhi University. Advocates Anup Kumar, Neha Jaiswal, and Shruti Singh represented the students in the case.

St. Stephen’s College has recently approached the Delhi High Court through a petition stating that Delhi University of failing to approve the admissions of 19 candidates under the Christian minority quota.

The college stated it had addressed all queries raised by the university and submitted its list of selected candidates for the reserved seats on August 24, yet has not received confirmation of admissions.

St. Stephen’s College had challenged Delhi University’s decision not to grant admission to Christian minority students in undergraduate courses.