Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Hindu College Standoff Escalates as Governing Body Notices Professors
Two teachers at Hindu College received notices asking them to explain their actions.
The college governing body says their statements and emails were inappropriate.
Ratan Lal had criticised the principal and questioned how admissions were handled.
P K Vijayan was accused of using offensive descriptions of other teachers.
The disagreement started with admissions through Sports and ECA quotas.
The staff association said too many quota seats went to two popular courses.
The university said this happened because of a computer algorithm error, not because merit rules were broken.
The staff association then began a protest, and some students joined it.
The teachers must respond within seven working days or may face disciplinary action.
Hindu College’s governing body issued show-cause notices to Associate Professors Ratan Lal and P K Vijayan.
The notices accuse the professors of gross misconduct, indiscipline, insubordination and damaging the college’s image.
The dispute began over Sports and ECA admissions and expanded to broader concerns about college administration.
The Hindu College Staff Association said quota allocations breached a 20% programme limit, while the university blamed an admission-algorithm error.
The staff association’s protest began on September 14, with students joining the demonstration.
- Who
- Hindu College’s governing body, Associate Professors Ratan Lal and P K Vijayan, the Hindu College Staff Association, Principal Anju Srivastava and University of Delhi officials.
- What
- The governing body issued show-cause notices to Lal and Vijayan during an ongoing dispute over admissions and college administration.
- When
- The notices were dated September 8 and were delivered to the professors on Wednesday; the staff association’s protest began on September 14.
- Where
- Hindu College, Delhi University.
- Why
- The governing body cited Lal’s criticism of the principal and Vijayan’s email to faculty, while the wider dispute concerns alleged procedural violations in Sports and ECA admissions and other administrative issues.
Staff Association and Professors
College Governing Body and University
Admissions allocation
Staff Association and Professors
The Hindu College Staff Association said allocating 17 of 48 Sports and ECA seats to B.Com (Hons) and 15 to BA (Hons) Political Science breached the university’s 20% limit for a single undergraduate programme.
College Governing Body and University
The University of Delhi attributed the excess allocation to an error in its admission algorithm and said candidates qualified on the basis of their Sports and ECA scores, with no violation of merit.
Conduct and criticism
Staff Association and Professors
Ratan Lal criticised Principal Anju Srivastava and expressed no confidence in her, while the staff association raised wider concerns about the college administration and statutory bodies.
College Governing Body and University
The governing body said Lal’s allegations damaged the college’s standing and that Vijayan’s email used derogatory and offensive characterisations of faculty, warranting explanations before possible disciplinary action.
- Professors notified
- Associate Professors Ratan Lal and P K Vijayan
- Deadline
- Seven working days to submit explanations
- Protest start
- September 14
- Admissions at issue
- Sports and Extra-Curricular Activities quotas
- Courses cited
- 17 of 48 quota seats went to B.Com (Hons), and 15 to BA (Hons) Political Science, according to the staff association
- University explanation
- The excess allocation resulted from an error in the admission algorithm
- Principal
- Anju Srivastava