100 students face suspension at Delhi's St. Stephen college for morning assembly absence

St. Stephen's College has reportedly suspended approximately 100 first-year students, citing their failure to attend morning assemblies. According to a teacher the college has also issued a warning of debarring these students unless they contact their parents promptly.

The affected students and teachers have reached out to Principal John Varghese, urging him to revoke the suspension order and withdraw the threat of debarring them from upcoming examinations. As of now, there has been no immediate response from the administration.

On February 17, over 100 first-year students received an email notifying them of their suspension and potential debarment from the second-semester exams. The reason given was their alleged non-compliance with setting up an appointment with the principal in response to a previous email on February 4. In that email, students were instructed to meet the principal due to low attendance in morning assemblies throughout January 2024.

An anonymous teacher mentioned that due to their restricted access resulting from low attendance in morning assemblies, students are missing classes. Some students living alone without guardians are facing difficulties complying with the requirement to contact their parents on short notice.

In a collective response to the principal's email, students explained that setting appointments was impractical because their parents do not reside in Delhi-NCR. They cited prior commitments, scheduling issues, and financial constraints preventing their parents from traveling to Delhi at short notice.

Associate Professor Sanjeev Grewal conveyed , emphasizing that low attendance in the morning assembly should not be a basis for debarring students from examinations. Grewal highlighted that the morning assembly is specific to St. Stephen's College and not recognized by the university. He argued that making assembly attendance compulsory could potentially violate students' fundamental rights under Articles 25 and 28(3) of the Constitution.

In his letter to the administration, Grewal requested an immediate withdrawal of the suspension order and the threat of debarring students. He also urged that attendance in the morning assembly and religious instruction be made entirely voluntary, aligning with the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution. Additionally, Grewal emphasized that disciplinary action should be a last resort within the college community.

The college administration has yet to respond to these appeals and concerns raised by students and faculty members.