Delhi University rebuts Rahul Gandhi’s caste bias claim, says CUET-based admissions leave no room for interview manipulation

The University of Delhi has strongly rejected remarks made by Rahul Gandhi suggesting that students were being failed on the basis of caste, asserting that the claims are not supported by facts and misrepresent how the university’s admission system operates.

The university issued a firm clarification stating that admissions are conducted through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and that the process is structured in a way that leaves little room for subjective decision-making.

Admissions conducted primarily through CUET

Delhi University emphasised that student admissions are largely determined by CUET scores, and interviews are not part of the standard admission process for most undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

According to the university, the CUET-based admission system ensures that the selection process remains transparent and merit-driven.

Officials said the structure of the admission process itself makes the allegation of students being failed during interviews inaccurate, as interviews are generally not conducted for most courses.

Admission data released for 2025–26 session

Alongside the clarification, the university released detailed admission figures for the 2025–26 academic session, showing the category-wise distribution of students admitted through CUET.

Postgraduate admissions

A total of 10,422 students were admitted to postgraduate programmes.

• Unreserved (UR): 4,022 students: 38.59%
• Other Backward Classes (OBC): 3,115 students: 29.88%
• Scheduled Castes (SC): 1,488 students: 14.27%
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 614 students: 5.89%
• Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 1,203 students: 11.54%

Undergraduate admissions

At the undergraduate level, the university admitted 70,395 students.

• Unreserved (UR): 32,777 students: 46.56%

• Other Backward Classes (OBC): 17,971 students: 25.52%
• Scheduled Castes (SC): 10,517 students: 14.93%
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 3,251 students: 4.62%
• Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 5,879 students - 8.35%

The figures indicate that a large number of seats across programmes are occupied by students belonging to reserved and economically weaker categories.

University responds to recruitment allegation

The university also addressed the possibility that the remarks may have referred to faculty recruitment rather than student admissions.

According to the administration, thousands of teachers have been recruited across categories in recent years, in accordance with statutory reservation norms.

Officials said that comments questioning the integrity of these processes could harm the academic environment of the university.

In its statement on X, the university said:

“The University of Delhi admits students primarily based on the CUET scores, and the standard admission process does not mandate interviews for most undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. If the Leader of Opposition was referring to recruitments (such as faculty positions), the University in the recent past has recruited thousands of teachers across all categories. We strongly object to such comments, as they create a non-conducive environment in the University. The Leader of Opposition should have verified the facts before making such a statement.”

Data at the centre of the debate

Delhi University’s decision to release the admission data appears aimed at countering the allegations with official figures.

As one of India’s largest public universities, the institution admits tens of thousands of students every year through CUET, making its admission policies a closely watched issue in the broader debate on access, reservation, and fairness in higher education.
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