New Delhi (India), October 14 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed 18 out of 19 students to take admission in St. Stephen’s College under the Christian minority quota for its undergraduate programme. The court ordered that these students can start attending classes tomorrow.

The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma ruled in favor of St. Stephen’s College, granting admission to Christian candidates in its undergraduate programmes. However, one student was found to be exceeding the 5% allocation limit.

The bench said that Article 30(1), which grants minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions, is not an absolute right. He stressed that even aided minority institutions must comply with government regulations.

The court emphasized that St. Stephen’s College cannot exercise unlimited authority over the rules established by the affiliated university.

Senior advocate Romy Chacko, along with advocates Karthik Venu and Akshat Singh, represented St. Stephen’s College. Advocates Mohinder JS Rupal and Hardik Rupal appeared on behalf of Delhi University. Lawyers Anup Kumar, Neha Jaiswal and Shruti Singh represented the students in the case.

St. Stephen’s College recently approached the Delhi High Court through a petition claiming that Delhi University had not approved the admission of 19 candidates under the Christian minority quota.

The college said it had responded to all queries raised by the university and submitted its list of shortlisted candidates for the reserved seats on August 24, but was yet to receive confirmation of admission.

St. Stephen’s College had challenged Delhi University’s decision not to grant admission to Christian minority students in undergraduate courses. (ANI)