Authority: Supreme Court of India (Bench of Hon'ble Mr. Justice Augustine George Masih and Hon'ble Mrs. Justice Sunita Agarwal)

Order Date: 12-10-2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioners: Deepak & Ors.
  • Respondents: University of Delhi & Ors.
  • SLP Nos.: 35515‑35516/2026, arising from High Court of Delhi judgments dated 02‑09‑2026 (LPA No.440/2025) and 16‑09‑2026 (LPA No.483/2025).
  • Applications listed: IA No.307895/2026 (exemption from filing C/C), IA No.307896/2026 (exemption from filing O.T.), IA No.312591/2026 (addition/deletion/modification of parties), IA No.312583/2026 (exemption from filing C/C), IA No.312587/2026 (permission to file petition), among others.
  • Counsel for petitioners included Sr. Adv. P.S. Patwalia, Ms. Annpurna, Adv. Ashish Pandey, etc.; counsel for respondents was Sr. Adv. Sanjay Jain and Mr. Mohinder Jit Singh.
  • The petition sought special leave to appeal the High Court orders and various exemptions/modifications related to filing requirements.

Observations & Reasoning

1. The Court granted permission to file the Special Leave Petition (Diary No.61847/2026).

2. The Court found no substantive ground to interfere with the impugned judgments/orders of the Division Bench of the High Court.

3. Counsel for the University, on instructions, stated that there is no recommendation for regularisation of the presently working contractual employees.

4. The same counsel affirmed that the petitioners and similarly placed candidates who participated in the contested selection process will be permitted to take part in a fresh selection process without the previously applicable age bar; a fresh advertisement for this selection is to be issued shortly.

5. The statement made by the University’s counsel was formally recorded.

6. Consequently, the Special Leave Petitions were disposed of.

7. All pending applications, including those seeking deletion/modification of parties, were also disposed of.

Final Outcome

  • Permission to file the Special Leave Petition was granted, but the petitions were dismissed as the Court found no merit to overturn the High Court decisions.
  • The High Court judgments/orders remain in force.
  • The University of Delhi will conduct a fresh selection process for the positions in question, allowing the petitioners to participate without an age restriction.
  • All ancillary applications were closed.

Topics: Employment Law, Higher Education