NEW DELHI: The future of the six students granted provisional admission to St. Stephen’s College by the Delhi University hangs in the balance, as the High Court on Thursday barred them from attending classes until further notice. The students attended the first day of classes for the 2024-25 academic session on Thursday, but unlike their peers, they were not as excited and remained uncertain about what lies ahead.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela heard an appeal filed by the college challenging a single judge’s interim order, which directed that the six students be granted provisional admission according to the university’s seat allocation.
The court’s order has added to the woes of the students and their parents.
Speaking to PTI, some parents expressed concern over the “mental trauma” their children are experiencing due to the ongoing dispute between the college and the university.
The parents feel they are being forced to run from pillar to post to secure a normal start for their children, who are caught up in a legal battle.
Mayank Tayal, a parent who travelled from Bengaluru so that his daughter could attend her first day of college, expressed frustration over the present situation.
“After an exhausting journey specifically for the first day of college and after a long search for a PG for my daughter, we are now left helpless as the court has stopped the students from attending classes until further orders. We don’t know what to do next,” he said.
“The decision to relocate to Delhi was a huge one for us. We were looking forward to joining St. Stephen’s, but it’s a terrible situation right now,” added Tayal, who attended the court hearing virtually.
“My daughter is suffering for no fault of her own. She hasn’t been eating properly for the past few days and we are going through mental trauma and unnecessary harassment. The DU administration and the college should have been on the same page after allocating seats to the students. Because of this tussle, our child is locked out of the admission process and cannot enroll in any other college,” said Prabhakar Sahu, the father of one of the six students who approached the court.
“My wife accompanied my daughter to college on the first day, while I’m here in the court for further proceedings,” he added.
“It wasn’t a normal start for my son, who attended his first day of college today. Instead of being excited, he was nervous because of how we got the admission. We feel like our future is hanging by a thread. These students want to stay in India and contribute to the country, but this is how the system is treating them,” said Charmendra Singh, another concerned parent.
“Now that the court has stopped our children from attending the classes until further notice, we feel helpless.”
When asked if he would accept another college if offered, Singh said that he would not be satisfied because St. Stephen’s was his son’s dream college.
The six students approached the court after the college rejected their admission applications, including those seeking admission under the unreserved category and the single girl child quota.
Vandana Shrivastava, the parent of a student among the 22 whose applications were rejected, expressed her unhappiness that her child had to stay at home due to the dispute while all her friends joined the college.
“The excitement that students usually feel on the first day of college is something my child missed out… She did exceptionally well in her 12th grade, securing 96 per cent and also scored 766 marks in CUET. Yet, she is still waiting to be admitted while all her friends went to the college today,” she lamented.
Srivastava’s daughter is among the 22 students, who sought admission to St. Stephen’s but had their applications rejected.
“Since August 19, when we received an email informing us that the DU had allocated admission to our child at St. Stephen’s, we have been waiting endlessly. We have no interest in St. Stephen’s if they don’t want to accept the admission. The DU should give us admission in another college based on her submitted preferences and merit. What are they waiting for? Why are our kids suffering for no fault of theirs?” she asked.
“All the excitement my child felt has drained away. The feeling you get on day one won’t come back, especially after this long struggle,” she said.
“My child is a UPSC aspirant and feels let down by this situation,” she added.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela heard an appeal filed by the college challenging a single judge’s interim order, which directed that the six students be granted provisional admission according to the university’s seat allocation.
The court’s order has added to the woes of the students and their parents.
Speaking to PTI, some parents expressed concern over the “mental trauma” their children are experiencing due to the ongoing dispute between the college and the university.
The parents feel they are being forced to run from pillar to post to secure a normal start for their children, who are caught up in a legal battle.
Mayank Tayal, a parent who travelled from Bengaluru so that his daughter could attend her first day of college, expressed frustration over the present situation.
“After an exhausting journey specifically for the first day of college and after a long search for a PG for my daughter, we are now left helpless as the court has stopped the students from attending classes until further orders. We don’t know what to do next,” he said.
“The decision to relocate to Delhi was a huge one for us. We were looking forward to joining St. Stephen’s, but it’s a terrible situation right now,” added Tayal, who attended the court hearing virtually.
“My daughter is suffering for no fault of her own. She hasn’t been eating properly for the past few days and we are going through mental trauma and unnecessary harassment. The DU administration and the college should have been on the same page after allocating seats to the students. Because of this tussle, our child is locked out of the admission process and cannot enroll in any other college,” said Prabhakar Sahu, the father of one of the six students who approached the court.
“My wife accompanied my daughter to college on the first day, while I’m here in the court for further proceedings,” he added.
“It wasn’t a normal start for my son, who attended his first day of college today. Instead of being excited, he was nervous because of how we got the admission. We feel like our future is hanging by a thread. These students want to stay in India and contribute to the country, but this is how the system is treating them,” said Charmendra Singh, another concerned parent.
“Now that the court has stopped our children from attending the classes until further notice, we feel helpless.”
When asked if he would accept another college if offered, Singh said that he would not be satisfied because St. Stephen’s was his son’s dream college.
The six students approached the court after the college rejected their admission applications, including those seeking admission under the unreserved category and the single girl child quota.
Vandana Shrivastava, the parent of a student among the 22 whose applications were rejected, expressed her unhappiness that her child had to stay at home due to the dispute while all her friends joined the college.
“The excitement that students usually feel on the first day of college is something my child missed out… She did exceptionally well in her 12th grade, securing 96 per cent and also scored 766 marks in CUET. Yet, she is still waiting to be admitted while all her friends went to the college today,” she lamented.
Srivastava’s daughter is among the 22 students, who sought admission to St. Stephen’s but had their applications rejected.
“Since August 19, when we received an email informing us that the DU had allocated admission to our child at St. Stephen’s, we have been waiting endlessly. We have no interest in St. Stephen’s if they don’t want to accept the admission. The DU should give us admission in another college based on her submitted preferences and merit. What are they waiting for? Why are our kids suffering for no fault of theirs?” she asked.
“All the excitement my child felt has drained away. The feeling you get on day one won’t come back, especially after this long struggle,” she said.
“My child is a UPSC aspirant and feels let down by this situation,” she added.
