DU panel flagged irregularities in St Stephen’s College faculty recruitment
St Stephen’s College premises. File | Photo credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
A Delhi University committee has pointed out the violation of shortlisting criteria in the recruitment of assistant professors at St Stephen’s College and recommended that the institution follow the university’s recruitment rules and regulations.
The commission, set up after deliberations at the university’s executive council meeting on April 29, 2026, concluded that the college had made the appointment in violation of the shortlisting criteria approved by the university’s statutory bodies, it said in its report.
The college insisted that the university’s shortlisting criteria were advisory in nature and that as a minority institution it could determine the manner and manner of faculty selection.
However, the committee’s report said the variances allegedly allowed applicants who would not otherwise have been eligible to be shortlisted for interviews.
The committee recommended that St Stephen’s College, as a constituent college of the University of Delhi, should follow the recruitment rules of the University to maintain uniformity and consistency in the appointment of teachers.
The university, through a letter dated April 29, advised the college to refrain from issuing appointment letters while the matter is investigated. Subsequently, a five-member committee was established under the leadership of prof. Inder Mohan Kapahy.
The committee met on May 7 and May 29 and sought details from the college regarding the short-listing criteria, short-listing candidates and their Academic Performance Indicator (API) scores as well as reasons for not following the criteria approved by the university.
The report said the college failed to provide the required information despite reminders issued by the university.
In its reply, St Stephen’s College argued that as a minority institution it could determine the manner and manner of selecting teachers.
She also cited the University Grants Commission’s 2018 regulation, which states that the number of applicants invited for interviews is to be decided by the college.
However, the commission reiterated that the selection criteria approved by the statutory bodies of the university are binding on the constituent universities.
The report raised concerns about the recruitment process, including the non-disclosure of shortlisting criteria and assessment methodology for essay writing, presentations and interviews until the vetting process was complete.
She also noted that the college had shortlisted 234 candidates for three unreserved assistant professorships and 11 candidates for one disability-reserved vacancy in the philosophy department.
According to the report, the college later disclosed that 70 candidates would be shortlisted for each unreserved vacancy and set the department for a cut-off score of 50 for philosophy against the university’s prescribed minimum academic score of 55.
The committee further raised concerns about the use of research publications for screening, stating that the college’s criteria differed from the university’s standard operating procedure for publications considered for eligibility and screening.
The report also noted that the college declared the recruitment results on the night of May 9 and allowed selected candidates to join on May 11 even as the board examination was pending.
On May 13, the Delhi High Court ordered that the selection board’s recommendations under the relevant recruitment advertisement should not be implemented without the court’s permission, the report said.
It alleged that the college went ahead with the joining process and gave supervisory duties to the selected candidates despite the court order.
“To maintain uniformity and consistency in the appointment of teachers, the University of Delhi Act, 1922 confers the power to appoint and recognize teachers in the university. Accordingly, St. Stephen’s College, as a constituent college of the University of Delhi, must follow the rules and regulations of the university for recruitment,” the committee said in its recommendations.
Published – 19 October 2026 22:17 IST