HC quashes DU’s new admission norms

New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Friday set aside Delhi University's new admission norms for undergraduate courses.

The court was hearing petitions challenging the varsity's new eligibility criteria for admissions in undergraduate courses.

A Division Bench of Justices Anu Malhotra and Talwant Singh quashed the amendment in admission eligibility criteria and directed DU to follow admission eligibility criteria of last year.

The court also directed DU to issue notice six months prior to admission when varsity plans to amend admission eligibility criteria in future.

The detail order will be released later.

Defending its decision to amend the admission eligibility criteria for undergraduate courses, Delhi University (DU) told the court that the new admission norms were formed after holding discussions with the stakeholders and experts in the fields.

DU's reply came on petitions challenging the varsity's new eligibility criteria for admissions in undergraduate courses.

"The laying of additional eligibility criteria in the undergraduate courses, more particularly in B. Commerce and BA economics (honours), have been done after much deliberation and discussions with the stakeholders and experts in respective fields," DU told the division bench.

The university told the court that it was done as part of a process of laying better standards for education.

DU also told the court that the university is always empowered to frame better standards of education and is committed to doing so. In fact, DU is preferred due to the standard of education offered to students, the university said.

The bench said that nothing prevents DU from improving its education standards. "No one is saying your decision (amendment) is not right, but your timing may not be right," the bench said.

The court remarked that DU could have given three months' prior notice to students.

The court was hearing three petitions including one by lawyer Charanpal Singh Bagri seeking quashing of the amended eligibility criteria for applying for admission in undergraduate commerce and economics honours courses.

One of the petitions filed by Khushi Srivastava through advocate Anupam Srivastava has sought quashing of the fresh norms related to Maths as part of the top four subjects for applying for admission in BA Economics Honours.

The other petitioner, Manas Shukla, has requested the court to direct authorities concerned to implement the eligibility criteria followed by DU in the last three consecutive years.

As per the new norms, 50 per cent marks in Mathematics in class 12 is mandatory for applying for admission in undergraduate commerce courses, which was not followed earlier, the advocate said.

Earlier B.Com Honours and Economics Honours required Maths as a subject in Class 12, though it was not necessary to include it in the best of four subjects, but securing passing marks was a must.

DU told the court that the proposal for providing additional eligibility criteria was already in the public domain since March-April and it was already conveyed to the public by various newspapers and websites.