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St Stephen’s College puts out job posting to recruit principal — after years of tussle with DU

Confirming the development, DU South Campus Director Rajni Abbi told The Indian Express that a vacancy for the post of principal has now been notified by St Stephen’s.

4 min readDec 21, 2025 11:25 AM IST

The appointment of the principal at St Stephen’s has been a contentious issue for several years.

St Stephen’s College is finally gearing up to hire a new principal after years of tussle over the continuation of Professor John Varghese in the post well past his five-year tenure, earlier termed “illegal” by the Delhi University.

The college on Saturday put out a public advertisement inviting applications “preferably from eligible candidates belonging to Church of North India (CNI) or to any other Church in communion with the CNI, under 60 years of age”. The advertisement states that “pay and allowances shall be as per University Grants Commission (UGC) norms,” and that the last date for applying will be 21 days from the date of publication of the advertisement.

Signed by (Retired) Reverend Paul Swarup, Bishop of Delhi, CNI, in his capacity as Chairman of the Search-cum-Screening Committee of the Supreme Council of St Stephen’s College, the notice directs applicants to the college website for details on eligibility requirements, guidelines and the application format.

The Indian Express reached out to Principal John Varghese and Chairman Swarup over calls and messages but did not receive a response in this regard.

The appointment of the principal at St Stephen’s has been a contentious issue for several years.

The move comes after Prof Varghese continued as principal well beyond the end of his five-year term in March 2021 — a continuation that DU repeatedly termed “illegal” and “non-statutory” in official correspondence with the college in 2022.

Confirming the development, DU South Campus Director Rajni Abbi told The Indian Express that a vacancy for the post of principal has now been notified by St Stephen’s.

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Dean of Colleges Balram Pani said the advertisement appeared to be a procedural step following the end of the extension granted to the current principal. “It is a minority institution and following the end of the extension period of the current principal, the college must have put out an advertisement for the vacancy,” Pani said. “The file for a new appointment will come to us once it reaches the shortlisting process.”

In August 2022, Delhi University wrote to the chairperson of the college’s Supreme Council and Governing Body, stating that Prof. Varghese’s continuation as principal beyond March 2021 was illegal. Varghese had initially been appointed principal with effect from March 1, 2016.In that letter, DU cited its June 2014 notification to all constituent colleges that principals could be appointed only for a five-year term, with reappointment for another term permissible only after following a fresh due process of selection. The university said the Supreme Council of St Stephen’s had failed to follow procedures mandated under the UGC regulations.

Referring specifically to the UGC Regulations on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges, 2018, DU had noted that any extension of a principal’s term requires a performance assessment by a committee comprising, among others, a nominee of the Vice-Chancellor and a nominee of the UGC Chairperson. This process, the university said, had not been followed, rendering the extension “ab-initio null and void”

However, St Stephen’s has reportedly stated that the re-appointment of Varghese was done according to the resolutions of the college’s supreme council.

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The dispute unfolded alongside another tussle between DU and St Stephen’s in 2022 over admission procedures, after the university insisted that admissions to non-minority seats be conducted solely on the basis of CUET (Common University Entrance Test) scores, without interviews which the college resisted.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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