Row over DU decision to conduct exams on Eid-ul-Azha holiday

New Delhi: A section of teachers and students have urged the Delhi University (DU) administration to reschedule examinations slated for Thursday, which has been declared a gazetted holiday on account of Eid-ul-Azha, to avoid inconvenience to students and staff members observing the festival.

In an office memorandum issued by DU's General Branch-II on Monday, the university announced that all offices, faculties, departments, colleges and institutions would remain closed on May 28 on account of Eid-ul-Azha.

However, the notification also stated that “examinations will be conducted as scheduled”.

Following the notification, several members of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) wrote to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh, requesting rescheduling of the examinations fixed for May 28.

Meanwhile, Vikas Gupta, the registrar of DU, told PTI that the university is not looking at rescheduling the exams but a re-exam will be considered for students who decide not to appear for it on May 28 in view of the festival.

"There are a lot of students who need to go for jobs or interviews for the next course; if we postpone the exam, it will cause a bigger problem as the exams cannot be immediately accommodated in the next few days," Gupta said.

"If students who do celebrate the festival decide to not appear for the exam, they can let us know. We will conduct a re-exam at a later stage, maybe around July, to give them another opportunity, though that will definitely delay the entire process for them considerably," he said.

In their letter, the teachers said that thousands of Muslim students, teachers and staff members would be observing religious rituals and celebrations associated with the festival.

“Conducting examinations on such an important religious occasion may cause considerable inconvenience and distress to the concerned students,” the memorandum stated.

"Since examinations carry compulsory academic implications, we sincerely hope that students, teachers, and staff will be allowed to celebrate the festival without the pressure and restrictions of the examination schedule," the memorandum added.

The teachers further said that festivals in the country are celebrated in a spirit of inclusivity and harmony across communities and urged the administration to allow students and staff to celebrate without the pressure of examinations.

This was preceded by at least two more letters written by elected executive council member Aman Kumar and other academic council members, which had also requested the university to reschedule the examinations.

At the time of the preparation of the examination schedule, the central government holiday for Eid-ul-Azha had initially been notified for 27 May 2026. Consequently, 27 May was kept as a free day in the examination schedule.

However, following the actual moon-sighting announcements and confirmations by religious authorities in Delhi and across India, Eid-ul-Azha will now be observed on Thursday, 28 May 2026.

Meanwhile, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) also issued a statement condemning the decision, calling it “insensitive, exclusionary and deeply problematic”.

The student body pointed out that while the university had officially declared Eid-ul-Azha a holiday, examinations, including the Administrative Law paper at the Faculty of Law, were still scheduled on the same day.

“What meaning does recognition of a festival hold if students are denied the practical ability to observe it?” AISA said in its statement.

The AISA demanded the immediate postponement or rescheduling of all examinations scheduled for May 28, a transparent explanation from examination authorities and an apology reaffirming the university’s commitment to secular and inclusive values.