New Delhi: Delhi High Court has given permission to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to admit students on the basis of deprivation point. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia on Tuesday directed that the university continue the admission process as per the rules laid down in its 2026-27 e-prospectus. However, the court clarified that all admissions taking place after this order will be subject to the final decision of the case.
JNU had challenged the order of the single bench
In fact, a single bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh had issued an interim order on August 14, stopping JNU from giving admission on the basis of deprivation point. The single bench had prima facie held that through this system the marks obtained by the candidates in CUET are changed, which may affect the fairness of the original score of the competitive examination. After this JNU challenged this order before the main bench.
What is deprivation point?
Deprivation Point is a long-standing admission policy of JNU, which aims to increase the participation of students from diverse and relatively deprived areas of the country. According to the 2026-27 prospectus of the university, a maximum of 12 deprivation points can be given to eligible candidates. Each point is equal to three points. In this way, a maximum of 36 additional points can be added to the admission score of an eligible candidate.
JNU's policy is in force since 1974
JNU argued in the High Court that the system of deprivation points has been in place since 1974 and its purpose is to give representation to students from different parts of the country in the university. The university also said that the entire JNU Admission 2026 process is being affected due to the single bench order. During the hearing of the case, the main bench has requested the single bench to expedite the proceedings and dispose of the case quickly.
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