Two landmark appointments, two strikingly similar roadblocks |
In a historic first, two of India’s most prestigious minority institutions — St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and St Xavier’s College, Mumbai — appointed women principals in 2025 and 2026. Yet the appointments of Professor Susan Elias and Dr Karuna Gokarn quickly ran into procedural challenges from Delhi University (DU) and Mumbai University respectively, delaying or complicating their formal recognition.
The parallel controversies raise an uncomfortable question: are these routine regulatory disputes, assertions of minority autonomy, or signs of a deeper reluctance to accept women at the helm of elite institutions?
At St Stephen’s, DU intervened days after Prof. Elias’s selection was announced on 12 May 2026. In a 14 May directive, registrar Vikas Gupta cited alleged violations of UGC Regulations 2018, arguing that the selection committee lacked mandatory nominees from the vice-chancellor and higher education experts. Since the college receives central funding, DU insisted that compliance with prescribed procedures was mandatory and ordered a fresh selection process.
The dispute fits a familiar pattern. St Stephen’s and DU have repeatedly clashed over admissions, minority rights and governance issues, including the tenure of the previous principal. The college maintains that its minority status........