CNI students given preference, St. Stephen's tells court

Responding to the Delhi High Court on reasons for denying admission to a Christian student, St. Stephen's College Friday said it gave preferences to those from the Church of North India (CNI) denomination.

The college made the statement while replying to a petition filed by Nikhil Neil Das who alleged that the college denied him admission despite the fact he fell under the Christian quota.

St. Stephen's said the college was set up mainly to benefit members of the Church of North India.

"The members of Church of North India are the most economically and educationally backward among the Christian community," the college replied.

The college maintained that the petitioner had applied under the Christian Others (COTH) quota and did not fall under the CNI category.

Das had applied for admission to BA Economics (Hons) course for academic year 2011-12.

In his petition, he alleged that the college had "unconstitutionally" set a criteria of admission to benefit candidates who were members of the CNI.

Das' counsel Ashok Aggarwal said 40 percent seats in the course were reserved for students belonging to Christian community.

Replying to the petition, St. Stephen's said the institution had its own admission procedure. It also informed the court that the student was below cutoff and failed to qualify for the interview. Das had secured 89% marks in Class 12.

The court will be hearing the matter again on August 11.