Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Delhi University Drops Delhi Sultanate Paper From Postgraduate History Syllabus
The University of Delhi is a large university in India where students continue studying after college.
These students are called postgraduate students.
The university decided to change what its history students learn.
It removed a special class about the Delhi Sultanate, a group of rulers who governed North India hundreds of years ago.
That class had been taught for many decades.
The university also removed other history classes, such as one about women in early India and one about religion in ancient Indian books.
The history department suggested 38 special classes, but only 16 were chosen.
The university says a team of experts is still reviewing the other classes and some may be added later.
Some teachers are worried because they say many long-running history classes are being removed.
The new study plan begins in July 2026.
The University of Delhi has removed the postgraduate paper 'The Delhi Sultanate: Structures of Authority in Medieval North India (13th-14th Centuries)' from the Semester III History syllabus.
The paper, taught as a core Medieval India course for several decades, examined the formation of the Sultanate, political authority, and the religious and cultural developments of the 13th and 14th centuries.
Other omitted papers include 'History of North India, c. 1400-1550', 'Gender and Women in Early India: 1500 BCE to 1000 CE', 'Political Processes and Structure of Polities in Ancient India', and 'Religion and Society in Ancient Indian Literature'.
Only 16 of the 38 proposed Discipline Specific Elective papers were included in the notified Semester III syllabus, with others listed as 'under discussion' or 'undiscussed'.
The revised programme, based on PGCF 2024 under NEP 2020 and effective from July 2026, was notified on August 7; DU says an expert committee is reviewing some courses.
- Who
- The University of Delhi's History Department, Dean of Academic Affairs K Ratnabali, an expert review committee, and concerned faculty members
- What
- Removed the postgraduate paper on the Delhi Sultanate and several other History papers from the Semester III syllabus
- When
- Final syllabus notification issued on August 7; the revised programme is effective from July 2026
- Where
- University of Delhi, India
- Why
- The syllabus was revised under PGCF 2024 based on NEP 2020; the university says the review aims to make the syllabus more representative, while faculty worry about the removal of long-running courses
University Administration
History Faculty
Reason for omitted papers
University Administration
Courses were not simply held back; after the department made changes, an Expert Committee reviewed the revised syllabi and cleared those considered suitable, with additional papers possibly included after the review.
History Faculty
Faculty members say the omissions reflect a pattern of long-running history courses being axed, especially in the Social Sciences, since revisions under NEP 2020 began.
Purpose of the revision
University Administration
The review aimed to make the syllabus more representative of different regions and periods of Indian history while aligning with the objectives of NEP 2020.
History Faculty
A History professor argued the removed postgraduate Delhi Sultanate paper, a core medieval course for several decades, should not be compared with the broader undergraduate survey course, and concerns were raised over the scale of changes.
- University
- University of Delhi
- Dropped paper
- The Delhi Sultanate: Structures of Authority in Medieval North India (13th-14th Centuries)
- Other omitted papers
- History of North India c. 1400-1550; Gender and Women in Early India (1500 BCE-1000 CE); Political Processes and Structure of Polities in Ancient India; Religion and Society in Ancient Indian Literature
- Proposed DSE papers
- 38
- Included DSE papers
- 16 (22 outside final notification)
- Framework
- PGCF 2024 under NEP 2020
- Notification date
- August 7
- Effective from
- July 2026
