Hindustan Times

Sridhar Kumaraswami: New Delhi, July 10

THE JESUS and Mary College (JMC) is refusing to admit several SC/ST candidates to the courses allotted to them as per the list forwarded by Delhi University.

According to DU's deputy Dean of Students' Welfare (DSW), Dr Rajendra Gupta, JMC has written to the university that while it has been admitting SC/ST students, it has the freedom to frame its own guidelines, as it is a minority college. DSW officials said that JMC has also cited an apex court order in this regard and added that they would have to examine it. JMC college authorities were unavailable for comment.

However, in this wrangle between DU and JMC, it is the students who are the sufferers. Surbhi Kardam, a scheduled caste student who had been allotted the B Com (Hons) course at JMC, said, "The college authorities told me to take admission to the BA (Pass) course instead of B Com (Hons) course. The last date for admissions is Wednesday and I don't know what to do," she said.

"We have been petitioning the DSW officials to do something but it is of no avail," said Gulab Singh, a parent, who added that his daughter Latika had been refused admission to the B Com (Hons) course at JMC despite the fact that she had been allotted the same by the DU.

Students who had been refused admission to JMC in the course allotted to them, said that they had been told by the JMC authorities that they would have been given admission to the course of their choice if they had got within 10 per cent of the cut-off for general candidates.

"The JMC authorities told us that they cannot give the SC/ST candidates any more concessions than that are offered to Christians," said a parent, R K Chauhan, whose daughter Neeta had been refused admission to the Economics (Hons) course at JMC which had been allotted by DU authorities. "This is sheer harassment. The university and the college authorities should have more co-ordination. Why can't all these matters pertaining to admission guidelines for SC/ST candidates be sorted out earlier?" questioned Ravinder Kumar, an angry parent.

"It is up to the university to take a firm stand on the issue. The freedom of colleges cannot be absolute," said a visibly hassled DSW official. The officials stated that all these cases of refusal of admission to the allotted course would be taken up on July 17 by the DSW's office. "But what is the use? We may not be given admission to the college that we want and which has been allotted to us," fumed Tilak Singh, a parent.