Delhi High Court stalls JNU's deprivation-point admissions pending further review

In a recent hearing, the Delhi High Court instructed Jawaharlal Nehru University to suspend admissions that rely on its deprivation-point scheme for the 2026-27 intake. Justice Jasmeet Singh expressed doubts about the university’s authority to modify CUET scores after the exam, warning that such adjustments could undermine the exam’s sanctity. The challenge was brought by Amit Mehra, an aspiring postgraduate, who asked that merit lists be prepared using only CUET scores or normalized percentiles.

JNU argued that the points, which can add up to 36 marks, are intended to ensure geographic diversity and are backed by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Act and Academic Council approval. The court noted that offer letters had already been sent to 1,500 postgraduate and 451 undergraduate candidates, but warned that proceeding could create irreversible complications. JNU has four days to file a response, and the matter is scheduled for further arguments on August 24, 2026. The interim order does not resolve the legality of the deprivation-point policy but pauses its implementation.