St. Stephen’s College presented its case to the Delhi High Court, arguing that the ‘single girl child quota’ imposed by Delhi University (DU) violates the right to equality under the law. The college claims that this quota, which reserves one seat per program for a single girl child, contravenes Articles 14, 15(3), 15(5), and 30 of the Constitution. The college argues that allocating seats under this quota infringes on the constitutional rights of minority institutions.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma questioned whether the college had raised this issue previously. Senior advocate Romy Chacko, representing the college, responded that while the institution initially agreed to allocate one seat per program for a single girl child, the university has now increased the quota to 13 candidates, which the college finds unacceptable.
The counsel for DU and the petitioner students argued that the college had not previously challenged the quota or the varsity’s bulletin regarding admissions. The court noted that St. Stephen’s may need to challenge the quota separately.
As per DU’s bulletin, one seat per program in every college is reserved for a single girl child. The college argued that this quota lacks statutory backing and is an executive decision without legal authority. Additionally, St. Stephen’s accused DU of imposing quotas on minority institutions without proper justification.
Advocate Mohinder Rupal, representing DU, noted that other minority colleges have accepted the allocation, and only St. Stephen’s is opposing it. He added that the college had not challenged the university’s bulletin earlier and should not have disrupted the admission process for the students who were granted provisional admission.
The court is set to continue hearing the case, focusing on specific points raised by both parties.
