HC slams DU for admissions mess due to rollback of FYUP

New Delhi, Nov 3: The Delhi High Court has slammed Delhi University for creating a mess ahead of the 2014 academic year admissions by first persisting with the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) and then moving on to earlier three-year discipline.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw made the observation while blaming the varsity for the plight of a student who could not be admitted to any college in B.Com (H) inspite of his being eligible for the course under the sports quota as per FYUP, as under the three-year programme having maths in Higher Secondary was mandatory.

The court directed Delhi University's (DU) Maharaja Agrasen College to admit the student under sports quota while setting aside the order of its single-judge bench which had dismissed his plea for admission as he did not have maths as a subject in Higher Secondary.

"It clearly is a case where owing to the mess which is the creation of the respondent University itself, in inspite of clear signals of change in policy, first persisting with the FYUP and at the last minute relenting".

The appellant has been left without admission to any college inspite of securing high marks making him eligible for admission in the sports quota in colleges of the respondent University perceived to be the best or in any other college. The appellant thus faces the stark reality of wasting one year of his academic life.

"When the appellant/writ petitioner under the FYUP could have studied B.Com (H) without having studied Mathematics in Higher Secondary, we see no reason why we should hold the appellant/writ petitioner ineligible merely because the respondent University has switched over from FYUP to the three-year programme," the bench said.

It also held that the appellant would be able to cope up with the course without having studied Mathematics as had that been the case the same would have formed part of the minimum criteria for admission to the course.

The petitioner, Siddarth Singh, had challenged the judgement of a single bench which dismissed his plea on the ground that he should not have relied on simply on the brochure published for admission to Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) which was rolled back.

According to the petition, he had sought admission B.Com (H) in the college under the sports quota and said that after the sports trial, he was declared successful but was denied admission for the reason that he did not have mathematics in Intermediate. Siddarth's counsel had argued that as per the admission brochure of Delhi University for the year 2014, there was no condition stipulated with regard to mathematics as one of the subjects required for admission in B.Com (H).

Later, due to change in policy and as per the directions of the University Grants Commission, Delhi University scrapped the FYUP programme introduced with effect from year 2013-14 and reverted to the earlier three-year programme.

"We thus, in the peculiar facts of this case, set aside the judgement of the single Judge and allow the writ petition by directing Maharaja Agrasen College to within one week after verifying the testimonials of the appellant admit the appellant to the B.Com. (H) Programme in the academic session 2014-15...," the bench said.

PTI