St. Stephen's college of delhi University (DU) has withdrawn the order to suspend the students. Over 100 first year students were suspended for allegedly not attending the morning prayer meeting. Besides, he was also barred from taking the examination. After criticism of this decision, the college administration withdrew its order on tuesday (20 February). The college said that wrong words were selected in the e-mail sent to the students. In an email sent to college students and their parents, Stephens college Principal john Varghese clarified that there will be no suspension with respect to attendance at the morning prayer meeting. The e-mail sent by Varghese said, “An e-mail was sent from my office on Saturday, february 17, 2024. There was a misunderstanding and wrong choice of words for which I apologize.

What did the principal of Stephens college say?

john Varghese, principal of Stephens college, said that when he directs his office to communicate in writing on his behalf, he is also sent an e-mail. He also said that as per the old tradition, morning prayer meeting is organized in the college and it is not organized as a religious meeting. He told that parts of many religious and philosophical texts are read during the meeting. students, especially first-year students, are expected to attend morning assembly to 'understand the history, traditions and practices' of the college.

'Choosing wrong words in e-mail'

Varghese said that parents are important stakeholders in the education provided by the college, and it is in this spirit that the e-mail was sent to them in which wrong words were chosen. Earlier in the day, teachers and students raised concerns over the suspension of first year students for not attending the morning assembly and an email barring them from appearing for second semester examinations. The students said that their parents were asked to meet the principal on the issue, failing which the students were not being allowed to appear for the examination.