New Delhi: St Stephen’s College is set to proceed with the appointment of Susan Elias as its new principal despite objections raised by Delhi University (DU), according to official sources.

Elias, whose appointment was announced through a notification issued on 12 May, is expected to assume office on 1 June. If confirmed, she will become the first woman principal in the college’s 145-year history since the institution was founded in 1881.

The move comes amid an ongoing dispute between the college and DU over the appointment process. Following the announcement, the university wrote to St Stephen’s asking it not to proceed, alleging that the selection committee constituted for the appointment did not comply with University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations. DU also approached the UGC seeking intervention in the matter.

However, college authorities are understood to have relied on the institution’s minority status to continue with the appointment process.

Sources within the college said Elias is expected to formally take charge next month. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said former principal John Varghese has now been absorbed into the English department as faculty, although questions remain over the specifics of the arrangement.

The latest development adds to the long-running friction between DU and St Stephen’s College, including an ongoing court dispute related to the recognition of Varghese’s second term as principal, which concluded in February 2026.

The controversy has also revived discussion around a 2008 Delhi High Court judgment delivered during the appointment of former principal Valson Thampu. In that ruling, the court held that St Stephen’s, as a minority institution, was not bound by provisions of Delhi University ordinances concerning the constitution of selection committees for principal appointments.

College sources pointed out that even after Thampu assumed office and secured a favourable court ruling, the university initially did not formally recognise him as principal, and his salary was reportedly paid through the college’s private funds rather than through UGC channels.

Officials further claimed that DU had similarly declined to recognise Varghese’s second term, although he continued to function as principal during that period.