‘Comply with order allowing minority student to attend St Stephen’s College’

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday said its order permitting a minority category student to attend classes amid a purported seat allocation dispute between St Stephen’s College and Delhi University has to be complied with.

A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was informed by the university that it had moved a plea seeking the recall of the court’s October 28 order permitting the student to attend classes till further orders.

“If the contemnors think they are above the law, we will tell them they are not... We will call them here to explain their conduct. Our order may be right or wrong, but you have to comply with it. This court is of the view that till the order is recalled, the same has to be complied with,”

said the bench.

A plea seeking contempt action was moved against the officials of the university for a “willful non-compliance” of the judicial order.

Delhi University’s counsel assured the court of complying with the October 28 ruling in the course of the day without prejudice to their rights.

The court subsequently accepted his statement, noting the university was bound by it.

The contempt petition is scheduled for November 11, coinciding with the hearing of DU’s plea to recall the order.

The division bench had issued the order in October while reviewing appeals from both the college and the student, who had been denied admission by a single HC judge.

While allowing the student to attend classes, the court instructed that no further allocation of seats take place.

The High Court had earlier found that 18 out of 19 students were entitled to admission, and the remaining seat was

deemed vacant. DU had objected to the appeals, accusing the college of improperly reallocating seats beyond the approved matrix.