HC nod to Khalsa College for admission under minority status

Delhi High Court today gave the go-ahead to Delhi University's Khalsa college to commence its admission process for this academic year under the minority status.
"How are the teachers of the college affected if students are given admission under the minority status," Justice G S Sistani asked the varsity teachers who have sought a stay on the National Commission for Minority Educational Institution (NCMEI) order granting minority status to the Sri Guru Teg Bahadur (SGTB) Khalsa College.
"Life of students cannot be put into uncertainty," the judge said, adding that "fresh appointments of teachers in the college will be subject to the final outcome of the writ petition."

It said the authorities concerned should inform the new joinees that the petition challenging the minority status given to the college was pending.
The high court in its interim order yesterday had only allowed the counselling process and not the admissions.
The court's order came on a plea by the teachers who had claimed that if admissions under the minority status are allowed, their service conditions would be affected. They had also challenged the grant of minority status on the grounds that it will affect the interests of SC/ST students.

The college was granted minority status in 2011, which was then challenged by teachers as well as Delhi University (DU) on whose plea a stay was granted by high court in 2012, according to the petition filed by the teachers.

As per the plea, DU had withdrawn its petition in July last year saying it had no objection to the minority status granted to the college.
Last July, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), which runs the college, had assured the court that admission and appointment of teachers would "continue in the old system" which allows admission in general as well as SC/ST/OBC categories. The teachers, however, alleged that the "minority tag" will adversely affect SC/ST/OBC students.
On April 18 this year, the DSGMC lawyer DSGMC said since DU and the government had accepted the minority status, it would not continue the "interim arrangement" and not be bound by the provisions of the SC/ST Reservation Act. The teachers had then again filed a plea seeking a stay on the order.

Four colleges run by DSGMC - SGTB Khalsa College, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College and Mata Sundri College - were declared minority institutions in 2011.