DU Admission 2019: DU to conduct admissions based on last year's eligibility criteria, Last date for registration extended to June 22

DU Admission 2019: On Friday the Delhi High Court directed the University of Delhi and the University Grants Commission to allow students to apply for admission to the undergraduate programmes of the university for the present academic year based on the eligibility criteria prescribed for the previous year (2018-19). The direction came from a bench of Justices Anu Malhotra and Talwant Singh who has also asked the university to extend the deadline for application from June 14 to June 22, 2019.

The Delhi High Court by giving these two directions have disposed three petitions, two PIL’s and a plea by a student which challenges the recent amendment made by the university in the eligibility criteria for the academic year 2019-20 which require mathematics as a part of the best of four subjects in order to apply for programmes like B.Com (Hons) and BA (Hons) Economics.

The Delhi High Court in its 17-page order maintained that the directions given will not avert the university from making changes in the eligibility criteria in the coming year. However, the bench did make it clear that the changes brought in the eligibility criteria have to be made according to the law which requires the university to give a minimum of six-month notice to the public prior to making any changes.

The petitions filed states that the students were caught unaware of the changes made in the eligibility criteria for a few of the courses as the changes were brought in a day before the opening of the registration process to the university. Delhi University started the admission process on May 30, 2019. The High court in its hearing pointed out that the university could have announced the changes in the eligibility criteria much earlier before the commencement of the application process.

The bench stated that there is no dispute over that fact that the university has to be in tune with the changing times and that there is anything which prevents it from improving the standards of education. However, there is no denying that the decision made by the university regarding changing the eligibility criteria right but the timing to introduce the same was wrong.

In an argument that lasted more than an hour, the High Court said that the eligibility criteria were meant for the students who appeared for the 2018-19 board examinations and the university’s decision to change the norms came a day before the registration process began. The bench also stated that the university could have announced the changes at least three months prior to the notice of the registration.

The university however in an act to defend itself said that every year the changes made in the eligibility criteria is mentioned in the Bulletin of Information which is meant for that particular academic year which means there is no need for prior notice before making changes in the information bulletin. The layers appearing on behalf of the university told that court that no student will be deprived of admission with respect to the new changes and in case there are students who are affected they can approach the grievance committee or the court regarding the same.