Delhi University counters Rahul Gandhi’s caste bias allegations

Delhi University (DU) on Sunday released detailed admission and recruitment figures to counter allegations made by Rahul Gandhi regarding cast-based discrimination in the university’s admission process.

Responding to the remarks made by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the university said its admission and recruitment procedures strictly follow constitutional provisions and statutory reservation policies.

In a post on X, the university stated that its processes are transparent and urged Rahul Gandhi to refrain from making “unsubstantiated” statements that could negatively impact the academic environment.

According to the data shared by the university, a total of 10,422 postgraduate students were admitted during the 2025-26 academic session through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). Of these, 4,022 students (38.59%) belonged to the unreserved (UR) category. Students from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category accounted for 3,115 admissions (29.88%), while 1,488 students (14.27%) were from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. The university also admitted 614 students (5.89%) from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and 1,203 students (11.54%) under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.

For undergraduate programmes, the university reported a total enrollment of 70,395 students in the 2025-26 academic session. Among them, 32,777 students (46.56%) were admitted under the UR category, while 17,971 students (25.52%) belonged to the OBC category. Admissions under the SC category stood at 10,517 students (14.93%), while 3,251 students (4.62%) were from the ST category. Additionally, 5,879 students (8.35%) were admitted under the EWS category.

The university reiterated that admissions are primarily based on CUET scores and that interviews are not a mandatory component for most undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Rahul Gandhi had made the controversial remarks on Friday while addressing an event in Lucknow to mark the birth anniversary of Kanshi Ram, founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party. During the event, he alleged that interviews in universities can sometimes be used to filter out students based on caste.

Following the remarks, the university had issued a clarification on Saturday stating that the CUET-based admission system forms the primary basis for student selection and that interviews are not part of the process for most courses.

Along with admission data, the university also shared figures related to faculty recruitment between 2021 and March 15, 2025, including appointments of teachers, librarians and physical education staff.

According to the data, 2,123 appointments (41.99%) were made under the UR category, 717 (14.18%) under the SC category and 349 (6.90%) under the ST category. The OBC category accounted for 1,282 appointments (25.35%), while 422 appointments (8.35%) were made under the EWS category. Additionally, 163 appointments (3.22%) were made under the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category. The total number of recruitments during the period stood at 5,056.

The university reiterated that such allegations could undermine the academic environment and maintained that its admission and recruitment policies remain aligned with constitutional provisions and reservation norms.