Delhi High Court issues notice to Jamia over plea against ‘religious discrimination’ in hiring outsourced non-teaching workers

A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued the notices on the petition and granted JMI and the Centre four weeks to file its reply. File.

| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Delhi High Court has sought responses from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and the Centre on a plea alleging religious discrimination in the recruitment of the university’s outsourced non-teaching employees.A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued the notices on the petition and granted JMI and the Centre four weeks to file its reply.According to the petition, the grievance arises from a notification dated March 24, 2026, and a list of outsourced employees that purportedly shows that 720 out of 986 outsourced employees belong to a particular community. The plea claimed this gave rise to a “strong inference of discriminatory practices” in the recruitment process.The petitioner argued that the recruitment violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and equal opportunity in public employment.The plea contended that JMI being a public authority, was bound to follow constitutional principles of fairness and non-discrimination.The plea has sought the quashing of the March 24 notification and directions for a fresh and transparent recruitment process for the outsourced workers. The plea has also sought directions to the University Grants Commission to frame uniform guidelines governing recruitment of non-teaching staff in universities funded by it. Published - May 16, 2026 05:13 am IST