Thampu triumphs

Valson Thampu silenced critics and emerged as an undisputed winner from the controversy surrounding the appointment of a principal at St Stephen8217;s College. He took over as principal of the college on September 12 despite protests, and faced opposition from outside and inside the college for occupying the office despite allegedly not holding a PhD degree.

Things deteriorated to such an extent that he resigned as principal. Then, the High Court ruled in his favour and said a minority institution like St Stephen8217;s College doesn8217;t need to follow DU8217;s eligibility criteria for selecting a principal.

Within a month of the ruling, Thampu was back in office. At first, teachers at the college were afraid this would lead to a division in their ranks, between those who supported him and those who didn8217;t. Two months on, however, all fears have been laid to rest.