Delhi High Court Halts JNU Admissions Based on Deprivation Points, Questions Addition of Marks to CUET Scores The Delhi High Court has temporarily suspended Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) admission process for the 2026–27 academic session, which relied on a system of “Deprivation Points” added to candidates’ CUET scores. The order, issued on August 14, 2026, came in response to a petition challenging the practice of granting additional points to applicants based on factors like the geographical location of their previous schooling. Justice Jasmeet Singh, presiding over the case, emphasized that the issue required further judicial scrutiny before allowing admissions to proceed under the disputed system. The petition, filed by Amit Mehra, an aspiring postgraduate student, contested Section V of JNU’s 2026–27 e-Prospectus, which outlined the Deprivation Points mechanism. Under this policy, candidates could receive up to 12 additional points, with each point equating to three marks in the CUET examination. The petitioner argued that this system unfairly altered the merit-based evaluation process and sought its removal, requesting that admissions be determined solely by CUET scores, normalized marks, or percentiles without regional weightage. JNU defended the policy, asserting that it was grounded in its institutional guidelines and aimed to ensure equitable representation of students from diverse backgrounds. The university’s counsel cited the First Schedule of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Act, 1966, and noted that the Academic Council had previously reviewed the issue before implementing the points system. However, the court expressed skepticism about the validity of this justification.#jawaharlal_nehru_university #delhi_high_court #amit_mehra #cuet_scores #first_schedule_jnu_act
