Days after St Stephen’s names its first-ever female principal, DU asks college 'not to proceed with appointment'

The DU Registrar said the university had not been approached for nomination of experts required under UGC norms and therefore the recommendations cannot be implemented upon.

Two days after Delhi’s St Stephen's College announced Professor Susan Elias as its first woman principal in 145 years, the University of Delhi (DU) has objected to the appointment process, saying the selection committee was not constituted in accordance with UGC Regulations 2018.

In a letter dated May 14, addressed to the Chairman of the Governing Body of St Stephen’s College, the DU Registrar said the university had not been approached for nomination of experts required under UGC norms and therefore the recommendations of the selection committee “cannot be implemented upon.”

The university has also asked the college “not to proceed with appointment of new principal” and instead convene a fresh meeting of a properly constituted selection committee.

First female principal since 1881

The development comes two days after St Stephen’s College announced the appointment of Professor Susan Elias as the institution’s first-ever woman principal since its establishment in 1881.

According to the college’s earlier announcement, Elias was scheduled to take charge as the 14th principal of the college from June 1, 2026, succeeding Professor John Varghese.

Founded in 1881 by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi, St Stephen’s is among the oldest constituent colleges of the University of Delhi and is widely regarded as one of India’s most prestigious higher educational institutions.

The appointment had drawn significant attention because the college, for much of its history, functioned largely as a male institution. Although women were admitted briefly in its early years, regular admissions for women students began only in 1975.

What is the university objecting to?

In its two-page communication, the University of Delhi has cited provisions of the UGC Regulations 2018 related to the constitution of selection committees for appointment of principals and professors in colleges.

The Registrar’s letter specifically refers to Clause 5.0 of the UGC Regulations 2018, which lays down the composition and selection procedure for principal appointment committees.

According to the regulations quoted in the letter, the selection committee for appointing a college principal must include:

• the Chairperson of the Governing Body,

• two members of the Governing Body,

• nominees of the Vice-Chancellor,

• higher education experts,

• subject experts,

• and category representatives where applicable.

The letter also highlights special provisions applicable to minority educational institutions such as St Stephen’s. Under these provisions, one nominee and two subject experts are to be chosen from panels recommended by the Vice-Chancellor, preferably from minority communities.

The university highlights that St Stephen’s allegedly did not seek these nominations from the university before constituting the selection committee.

“The University has not been requested for nomination of experts as per the provisions of UGC Regulations 2018 quoted in Para 2-C above,” the Registrar wrote.

Based on this, the university concluded, “It appears that the Selection Committee for the appointment of new principal in the college has not been constituted in accordance with provision of UGC Regulations 2018.”

The letter further states, “Accordingly, the recommendations of such a committee cannot be implemented upon.”

The university then directed the college not to proceed with the appointment and to convene a fresh selection committee meeting constituted as per UGC norms.

Who is Professor Susan Elias?

Professor Susan Elias is a computer science academic and administrator with over three decades of experience in higher education, research and academic leadership.

Before being appointed principal of St Stephen’s College, she briefly served as Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) at Chandigarh University, Uttar Pradesh between January and May 2026.

Prior to that, she was Director (Research) at Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science in Chennai from October 2024 to December 2025.

She also spent nearly nine years at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), where she held multiple positions including Professor and Dean of the School of Electronics Engineering, Professor and Deputy Director at the Centre for Advanced Data Science, and Associate Professor and Head of Department at the School of Electronics Engineering (SENSE).