The Delhi High Court has reserved its order on pleas filed by St. Stephen's College and Jesus and Mary College seeking interim relief against Delhi University's notification mandating admissions under the minority quota solely based on the common university entrance test (CUET) score.
A bench consisting of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad has also reserved its order on the interim prayer in a similar petition by Jesus and Mary College.
The two colleges sought an interim stay on the December 8, 2022 decision of the executive council of Delhi University (DU) that insists on giving 100 per cent weightage to the CUET 2023 score for admission to the minority quota in the petitioner colleges until the disposal of the writ petitions.
These pleas were brought before the high court following the Supreme Court's order on July 19, instructing the high court to consider St. Stephen's College's petition with "requisite urgency."
Previously, the high court had noted the existence of an appeal pending before the apex court in the matter and deferred the case, granting parties the freedom to approach the top court to address their grievances.
In addition to the petitions of the two colleges, another petition filed by Sharon Ann George against the interview process for minority students at St. Stephen's, in addition to CUET, is also pending before the high court.
Last year, St. Stephen's College had filed a petition challenging DU's letter requesting it to withdraw its prospectus that allocated 85 per cent weightage to CUET and 15 per cent to college interviews for admission to unreserved seats in undergraduate courses.
The high court had then ruled that the rights accorded to a minority institution under the Constitution cannot be extended to non-minorities. As a result, the court directed St. Stephen's College to give 100 per cent weightage to the CUET 2022 score while granting admission to non-minority students in its undergraduate courses.
However, the court also acknowledged the college's authority to conduct interviews alongside the common university entrance test (CUET) for admitting students from the minority community. Still, it cannot compel non-minority candidates to undergo an interview.
The appeal before the Supreme Court is contesting this judgment.
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