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St Stephen's College faces scrutiny over its religious instruction practices. The administration mandates daily assemblies and compulsory religious instruction classes for Christian students, despite receiving government funding. This contravenes a Supreme Court ruling against enforced religious teachings in minority institutions with state support.

NEW DELHI: Sin, salvation and redemption — these theological concepts are being imparted to students at St Stephen's College, as described in personal accounts published in the institution's newly launched newsletter. The publication, which documents student activities throughout the year, features reflections on Christian doctrines, testimonies of faith and discussions on biblical teachings. TOI spoke to students and teachers of the college to verify whether religious lessons are imparted by the administration and learnt that the college holds compulsory religious instruction (RI) classes for Christian students. They are also required to appear for an exam for it. Stephen's also has a mandatory morning assembly policy for all where students are made to recite biblical phrases, students and teachers said. "Four days a week, from Monday to Thursday, we have a morning assembly which is compulsory for all to attend. Biblical phrases are recited during the assembly. If students fail to meet the attendance requirement for the assembly, they are summoned by the principal and even their parents are called," a college source said on condition of anonymity. Regarding the religious instruction class, the source added: "All Christian students are required to attend these. This goes against the rules. Just because someone is a Christian does not mean he or she should be forced to study religious teachings. One can be a Christian without subscribing to a specific ideology or not be religiously inclined. We are a constitutional democracy and we should uphold those principles." "I don't have a problem with the morning assembly being compulsory, but the phrases we are made to recite can be objectionable to people of other faiths," said a final-year MA student, requesting anonymity. The college's newsletter states that the idea behind launching it stemmed from the desire to "glorify the kingdom of God and connect with members of the college about personal experiences of faith." The publication comes in the backdrop of a Supreme Court ruling last year which held that minority institutions receiving govt funding cannot impart religious lessons to students and make attending such sessions compulsory. St Stephen's, a minority institution affiliated with Delhi University, receives grants from University Grants Commission (UGC). One of the student accounts in the newsletter references the "Epistle of Jude", studied as part of a Bible study session during a visit to an NGO last year in Oct. The third-year BSc student wrote, "He (Jude) begins by sharing the reason for writing this epistle by talking about the salvation all of us share." Reflecting on the learnings from the lesson, the student continues, "Through Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, humanity is offered salvation — a chance to be saved from sin and (be) born into a new life. God sent his only son to redeem us, receiving us from our sins and the fire of hell." The newsletter also includes personal testimonies. A first-year BA student recalls securing admission to the college during a difficult time. "God has perfect plans for us. Because he wants to teach us to walk by faith, not by sight," the student wrote. Another student, critiquing the commercialisation of Christmas, urged readers to embrace its spiritual significance: "May we be sober in spirit during Christmas and draw closer to Him so that the gospel dwells in us and non-believers see the truth of Christmas." Beyond reflections on faith, the newsletter also documents college-organised activities that include events aimed at promoting better understanding of the religion. Delhi University, under which the college operates, has also introduced various religious texts from other traditions in its curriculum. Recent academic inclusions of the Bhagvad Gita and Ramayana had been opposed by some student and teacher groups, who questioned their relevance for students from diverse backgrounds. Supreme Court's ruling on religious instruction in govt-funded minority institutions was based on the principle that educational spaces should not serve as platforms for religious teachings if they receive state funding. The observation was made by a seven-member bench after solicitor-general Tushar Mehta pointed out that Parliament, through a 1951 amendment to the AMU Act, 1920, did away with compulsory religious teaching for Muslim students in the university. "We accept the position that a minority institution, wholly funded by the state, cannot impart any religious teaching to its students. When it receives any grant, even if 1% of it comes from the govt, the minority institution can provide religious teaching only to students volunteering for it," the court had said. The bench had also said that once a minority institution gets recognition from govt, it cannot insist on compulsory religious teaching for its students. When TOI reached out for a comment, principal John Varghese confirmed that the religious instructions class was mandatory for Christian students. "We are a minority institution," he said, adding that he was not aware of the Supreme Court ruling and declined to comment any further.

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