Delhi HC quashes DU's new admission criteria for UG courses

The Delhi High Court on Friday quashed the new eligibility criteria for admission in undergraduate courses to Delhi University.

A division bench of the high court presided by Justices Anu Malhotra and Talwanat Singh allowed the batch of pleas challenging the varsity's new admission criteria.

The court also directed the varsity to extend the last date of applying for admission to June 22. Till now, the last date was June 14.

The bench further told DU that if they want to amend admission eligibility criteria then it has to issue a notice six month prior to admission.

The petitioners claimed that a change in the eligibility criteria in B Com (Hons) and BA (Hons) in Economics is "illegal" and violates Article 14 of the Constitution, as it was done arbitrarily and without any prior notice.

Replying on the pleas, the varsity defended its decision of amending the admission criteria and told the court that new admission norms were formed after holding discussions with the stakeholders and experts in the fields.

"The laying of additional eligibility criteria in the undergraduate courses more particularly in B. Com (Hons) and BA Economics (Honours) has been done after much deliberation and discussions with the stakeholders and experts in respective fields," the University said in its reply.

Until last year, the eligibility criteria stated that a student had to score at least 50 per cent marks in mathematics to apply for BA (Hons) in Economics. However, this year, the University made the subject mandatory for the 'best of four', that is, Maths has to be part of the top four subjects, an aggregate of which will be considered for the admission.

Similarly, for B.Com (Hons), a student was required to pass mathematics/business mathematics with an aggregate of 45 per cent.

Similarly, B.Com (Hons) required a student to have passed mathematics or business mathematics with an aggregate of 45 per cent marks as a mandatory requirement, but this year, DU made it compulsory that a student should have 50 per cent or more marks in mathematics or business mathematics and an aggregate of 60 per cent.