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Delhi University gets court notice on dalits’ admission

By IANS,

New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Tuesday issued notice to the Delhi University on a plea challenging the allegedly discriminatory policy adopted for admitting students from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST).

Justice G.S. Sistani issued notice to the university and asked it to file a reply by Oct 11.

The petition filed by a group of five students and two organisations – Innovative Institute for Development And Education of All and Balmiki Mohalla Sudhar Samiti -alleged that the admission procedure adopted by the university was “highly discriminatory”.

They alleged that the information bulletin for dalit candidates was improper and of poor quality as compared to the kit for the general category students.

“While a 70-page information bulletin, printed in colour with a personal message from the vice-chancellor and with information like the last year’s cutoff marks, information about grievance and placement cell and a city map indicating the colleges’ location, was given to the general candidates, the SC/ST candidates were given a shoddily printed eight-page bulletin without the necessary information,” alleged a petitioner.

“The general category candidates could register using the online facility from anywhere in India, SC/ST candidates had to come physically to Delhi with all their original certificates to even obtain the registration form,” the petition said.

The petitioners alleged that while a general category candidate could register for all or any of the courses and colleges, an SC/ST candidate had a limit of 30 choices.

Making an informed choice at the time of registration was impossible for dalit candidates who were not even provided with the required information, it added.