Delhi HC Allows JNU to Continue PG Admissions Under Deprivation Points Policy
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi to proceed with postgraduate admissions for the 2026-27 academic session under its deprivation points policy.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia modified an August 14 order issued by a single-judge bench that had restrained JNU from finalising admissions based on the policy. The division bench ruled that the university may carry on with the admission process as outlined in its e-prospectus, while noting that all admissions will remain subject to the final outcome of the pending writ petition.
The bench also directed the single judge to expeditiously dispose of the petition, which was filed by a student seeking admission to a postgraduate course and challenging the deprivation points system.
JNU's deprivation points policy is designed to promote inclusive education by awarding extra marks to candidates from backward or deprived areas. Under the mechanism, eligible applicants can receive up to 12 points, with each point equivalent to three marks, added to their Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores. The bench observed that the system has been in place at the university since April 1974 and has been amended periodically by its academic council.
In its appeal against the stay, JNU submitted that the e-prospectus outlining the policy was issued in April 2026, and the admission process commenced in May. The university stated that the first round of counselling concluded on June 25, and classes for admitted students had already commenced on July 30.
Counsel for JNU argued that the single judge's stay had effectively brought the entire admission process to a standstill after classes had already begun, contending that any legal challenge should have been initiated within a reasonable timeframe. Counsel for the student argued that the allocation of deprivation points rendered the marks scored by candidates in the CUET entrance exam almost meaningless.
