DU directs St Stephen’s College to stop appointment of its new principal
Computer scientist Prof Susan Elias, the first woman principal in St Stephen’s’ 145-year history, is supposed to take charge on June 1. But DU says her appointment violates UGC rules
Prof Elias, who is a computer scientist and an academic administrator, is scheduled to take charge on June 1, succeeding the outgoing principal, Prof John Varghese. (Credits: Linkedin/ Image enhanced using ChatGPT) The University of Delhi has asked St Stephen’s College to “not proceed with the appointment” of Professor Susan Elias as its new principal on the grounds that the committee that chose her was allegedly constituted in violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.
St Stephen’s announced the appointment of its first woman principal on Tuesday, a historic first in the 145-year history of the college.
On Thursday, the DU registrar wrote to the chairman of the governing body of the college saying that the university had taken note of “media reports regarding appointment of a new principal in St Stephen’s College”, and drawing the recipient’s attention to the provisions of the UGC Regulations 2018, which govern the appointment of principals.
“The University has not been requested for nomination of experts as per the provisions of UGC Regulations 2018 quoted in Para 2-C above,” the registrar wrote, referring to the mandatory expert nominations linked to the vice chancellor and university-approved panels.
“It appears that the Selection Committee for the appointment of new principal in the college has not been constituted in accordance with provision of UGC Regulations 2018,” the letter said. “Accordingly, the recommendations of such a committee cannot be implemented upon.”
Therefore, “you are requested to not proceed with appointment of new principal and convene a meeting of the Selection Committee constituted as per the provisions of UGC Regulations 2018 quoted above”, DU has told the college.
Prof Elias, who is a computer scientist and an academic administrator, is scheduled to take charge on June 1, succeeding the outgoing principal, Prof John Varghese.
Her appointment has been viewed as a historic transition for the college, which has long been associated with the teaching of the humanities, theology, and the liberal arts.
St Stephen’s College has been in a long-running institutional conflict with Delhi University over questions of governance and autonomy. DU had repeatedly challenged the continuation of Prof Varghese in the principal’s post beyond March 2021, and described his extension as “illegal”, “non-statutory”, and “ab initio null and void”. According to the university, UGC rules required a fresh selection process that would involve DU and the nominees of the commission.
St Stephen’s had, on the other hand, maintained that Varghese’s continuation was valid under resolutions passed by the supreme council of the college.
College Chairman Paul Swarup had earlier told The Indian Express that Prof Elias had been appointed after “the proper procedure” was followed, including a public advertisement, interviews, shortlisting, and candidate presentations before the selection.
The registrar’s letter, however, suggests that the University believes key procedural requirements involving university nominees and expert panels were bypassed.
The communication directly references provisions that are applicable to minority educational institutions such as St Stephen’s.
It quotes UGC regulations stating that in colleges “notified/ declared as minority educational institutions”, certain nominees and subject experts may preferably be drawn from minority communities. However, DU has argued that such exemptions do not nullify the requirement for expert panels recommended by the VC and the participation of the university in the constitution of the selection committee.
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