Delhi University on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that it will conduct a special examination after July 4 for students belonging to the minority community who want to celebrate Eid al-Adha on May 28 and choose not to appear for the examination scheduled by the law college on that date.
The application was filed by university counsel Mohinder Rupal before a bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh, in a petition filed by a fourth-semester Muslim student of the law college against the university’s May 25 notification to conduct exams on May 28.
Eid exams will be after July 4th
Lawyer Roopal added that students who wish to take the exam later can inform the dean of the law school about it. After recording the minutes, the court decided on the petition.
“Mr. Rupal on instructions indicates that those students who belong to the minority community or those who wish to participate in [Eid al-Adha] “On May 28, 2026, the Dean of the Faculty of Law may inform and the examination proposed to be held on May 28 will be held after July 4. After recording the statement, the petition has been disposed of.”
The student said in his petition that holding the exam on May 28 puts students in an “impossible situation,” forcing them to either attend the exam at the expense of participating in religious rituals and family celebrations, or celebrate the holiday, and thus suffer from academic bias. The petition further said that the DU notification “lacks any reasonable relevance” and is inconsistent with the “constitutional morality, secularism, justice and equal treatment” expected of a public educational institution.
In a May 25 notification, citing an order from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Personnel and Training Department), the university said: “DU will observe Eid-ul-Dhuha (Bakrid) holiday on May 28… All DU offices, faculty members, departments, colleges and institutes will remain closed on Thursday.”
She added: “The examination will be conducted on the scheduled date.”
Students protest against exams on Eid
At the same time, the decision sparked strong criticism from teachers and students.
Aman Kumar, a member of the university’s executive council, said the university’s decision goes against the central ministry’s order. “A total of 378 research papers are scheduled to be conducted on May 28. Therefore, the university has declared it a holiday, and on the other hand, teachers must come for this purpose.”
A first-year student, who received a paper on Thursday and requested anonymity, said, “I am from UP. I along with many other people who live far from our families had planned to celebrate the festival together. But now I will have to come to get the paper.”
Latika Gupta, a faculty member at the Education Ministry, said the decision is a setback for all teachers and students, especially those who belong to the minority community. “Not postponing the exam on a holiday appears discriminatory, as it sends a message that celebrating religious festivals of minorities may be tolerated… This is not in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution.”
The All India Students Association (AISA) staged a protest over the issue at DU’s examination branch office on Tuesday. AISA DU president Savi Gupta described the order as “blatantly discriminatory”.
DU Registrar Vikas Gupta told HT that the exams will be conducted as per schedule.
