Mr. Jeetender Gupta, Mr. Bharat Rawat and Mr. Ashish Mishra, Advs v. HINDU COLLEGE AND ORS

$~88 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 9827/2025 & CM APPL. 41043/2025, 42113/2025 ADITI RAWAT MINOR THROUGH HER MOTHER ANITA RAWAT .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Jeetender Gupta, Mr. Bharat Rawat and Mr. Ashish Mishra, Advs. versus HINDU COLLEGE AND ORS .....Respondents Through: Mr. Rajeev Sharma and Mr. Kartikeya Raman, Advs. for R-1/HC. Mr. Mohinder JS Rupal, Mr. Hardik Rupal, Ms. Aishwarya Malhotra and Ms. Samriddhy Jindal, Advs. for R-2/UoD. Ms. Shubhra Parashar, Mr. Virendra Pratap Singh Charak, Mr. Satyam Kumar and Ms. Aakansha Thakur, Advs. for R-3/UOI. CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VIKAS MAHAJAN % 25.08.2025 O R D E R 1. The present petition has been filed seeking direction to allocate one seat to the petitioner under Sports Quota (Lawn Tennis) at Hindu College/respondent no.1 for the academic year 2025-26. 2. The case articulated in the present petition is that the petitioner is a distinguished Lawn Tennis Athlete and Gold Medallist at CBSE Nationals. 3. The brochure for admission to Under Graduate Programmes of respondent no.2/University of Delhi for the academic session 2025-26 provides that 5% of the total sanctioned seats of the college shall be allocated to ECA/Sports Admission. This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 30/08/2025 at 11:53:29

4. It is the case of the petitioner that the seat matrix of the Hindu College reveals total 956 seats in the college which requires college to reserve at least 47 seats for ECA/Sports Quota, whereas the seat matrix which has been issued by the respondent no.1/Hindu College indicates that only 10 seats each have been reserved by the Hindu College/respondent no.1 for the ECA and Sports Quota. 5. The respondent no.1/Hindu College has contested the petition and a stand has been taken that the quota prescribed for ECA/Sports Admission in the Information Bulletin of the University is not mandatory. 6. On the last date of hearing i.e. 21.08.2025, this Court had posed a query to Mr. Mohinder JS Rupal, the learned counsel for the respondent no.2/University of Delhi as to whether the supernumerary seats meant for ECA and Sports Admission are mandatory. His response was in affirmative. 7. Accordingly, the Court had directed the respondent no.2/University of Delhi to file an affidavit in that behalf. Today, a copy of an affidavit in terms of the order dated 21.08.2025 has been handed over across the Bar, the same is taken on record. 8. In the said affidavit, the respondent no.2/University has taken a stand that 5% of total sanctioned seats of the college are to be allocated for ECA/Sports Admission. It thus, appears from the affidavit of the university that it was mandatory for the respondent no.1/Hindu College to have reserved at least 5% of total seats for ECA and Sports admission. The relevant paragraphs from the affidavit reads thus: “3. It is respectfully submitted that University of Delhi has framed the guidelines for Sports Supernumerary Quota in Undergraduate Programs which are applicable to all the constituent Colleges. This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 30/08/2025 at 11:53:29

4. The guidelines for Sports Supernumerary Quota in Undergraduate Programs are at page 28 of the Writ Petition. From a bare perusal of the same it is clear that 5% of total sanctioned seats of the College shall be allocated for ECA and Sports Admission. The colleges can allocate between 1% to 4% to ECA and Sports subject to maximum of 5% of intake of the College. In addition, not more than 20% of the seats of the earmarked seats of the quota shall be allocated to a single Program. This bifurcation between ECA and Sports Supernumerary seats has been explained by way of an example in the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) for admission to Undergraduate Programs for the academic session 2025-26, University of Delhi at page no.43 of Chapter -22. 5. However, it is the discretion of the constituent College as to how to bifurcate the seats for different Games/Sports. If any constituent College does not have requisite infrastructure for one Game/Sport, then seats can be allocate to other Game/Sport. 6. Be that as it may be, the admissions under Sports Supernumerary Quota for Undergraduate Program are over for the present academic session. The Sports Supernumerary Quota admission is undertaken through a centralised process and therefore for the present academic session no relief whatsoever can be granted to the Petitioner who is admittedly a Tennis player and has got and taken the admission in Lady Shri Ram College in Tennis (Women) in Sports Supernumerary Quota in Undergraduate Program.” 9. Mr. Rupal further submits that the seats meant for ECA/Sports admission are supernumerary seats and the admission process for the said seats has already concluded. 10. Mr. Gupta invites attention of the Court to the public notice dated 19.08.2025, a copy of which has been handed over across the Bar, and the same is taken on record. Referring to the said notice, Mr. Gupta submits that the spot admission round for Undergraduate Programs is still on which is from 25.08.2025 till 30.08.2025. This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 30/08/2025 at 11:53:29

11. In response, Mr. Rupal submits that said public notice is only with regard to the sanctioned seats whereas the seats meant for ECA and Sports Admission are supernumerary seats and they are not covered by the public notice dated 19.08.2025. 12. Faced with this situation, Mr. Gupta submits that he will not press his petition any further, however, he urges the Court that an observation may be made in the order that in future colleges affiliated to the respondent university will adhere to the mandate given in the University Information Bulletin, which prescribes for 5% mandatory quota for ECA and Sports Admission. 13. Mr. Rupal also submits that the said suggestion is fair and the same may form part of the present order. 14. Having regard to the above, it is hoped that the colleges of the University of Delhi be careful in future in following the mandate with regard to the seats under ECA/Sports Admission, which as per the Information Bulletin of the Academic Session 2025-26, was mandatory. 15. The petition stands disposed of in the above terms. VIKAS MAHAJAN, J AUGUST 25, 2025/dss