St. Stephen's College Appeals High Court Ruling on Admission of Seven Students

St. Stephen's College has appealed a Delhi High Court ruling that mandated the admission of seven students based on Delhi University's seat allocation system. The Division Bench will hear the case on Tuesday. The college had initially opposed admitting students through the university's allocation policy.

In a significant turn of events, St. Stephen's College has challenged a Delhi High Court single-judge order that mandated the admission of seven students based on Delhi University's seat allocation. The appeal was presented on Monday before a Division Bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, which has agreed to hear the case on Tuesday.

Last Friday, Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma had ruled that since the university's seat allocation system had not been invalidated, St. Stephen's College must enroll the petitioning students according to the previous year's allocation policy. The college was instructed to ensure these students could attend classes upon completion of requisite formalities. The High Court's decision stemmed from two petitions filed by the seven students, challenging the college's admission process.

The students contended that despite being allocated seats by Delhi University, their admissions were not finalized within the given timeframe. While the university backed their plea, St. Stephen's College opposed it, arguing against a compulsory admission of all students through the university's common seat distribution system due to capacity limitations. Initially, the single-judge bench granted provisional admissions to six students, but the college's subsequent appeal led to a stay on this decision, preventing the students from attending classes until the matter is settled. A seventh student joined the appeal, with petitioners seeking admission under the 'single girl child quota.'

(With inputs from agencies.)