DU Faculty Oppose Renaming of Dyal Singh College, Cite Legal and Academic Risks
Faculty members of Dyal Singh College have formally written to Delhi University's Academic Council, strongly opposing a proposal to rename Dyal Singh (Evening) College after Sikh warrior Banda Singh Bahadur. In a detailed letter, the Dyal Singh College Teachers' Association has warned that this move could potentially trigger significant land disputes, violate the legal transfer deed under which the university took over the college, and severely degrade the institution's academic health and infrastructure.
Legal and Administrative Concerns Raised
The teachers' association has highlighted that Dyal Singh College is legally and administratively a single institution, with evening classes operating under the same governing body and ordinances. They argue that any attempt to rename the evening college or create a separate morning college on the same campus would be unlawful. Specifically, the association cited Clause 12 of the 1978 transfer deed, which mandates that the entire land "shall continue to be called Dyal Singh College," leaving no legal scope for a name change.
Unanimous decisions taken by the Academic Council, an apex body, are typically implemented across Delhi University colleges, making this opposition a critical hurdle for the proposal. The faculty members emphasized that they were not consulted before the renaming idea was announced, with Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh first flagging it publicly during an address in December 2025.
Infrastructure and Academic Impact
The letter placed particular emphasis on the severe infrastructure constraints faced by the college. Citing a National Assessment and Accreditation Council report, the teachers noted a "space crunch" on campus. The college sits on 11.3 acres, but only 8.3 acres is usable due to a drain covering the rest. This limited space currently caters to approximately 5,500 morning college students and 2,500 evening college students, who share the same facilities.
"We cannot afford to lose any more land or infrastructure, as this will cause serious degradation of the quality of education and facilities of our esteemed institution," the DSCTA wrote. They warned that attempts to bifurcate the college land or create two morning colleges would be unviable and could harm the quality of higher education offered.
Historical Precedent and Current Opposition
Faculty members also invoked a failed renaming attempt from 2017, when a proposal to rename the college 'Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya' was dropped after opposition, including a police complaint filed by then MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa. That precedent, coupled with a unanimous Staff Council resolution opposing any "bifurcation of college land," should have prevented the current proposal, according to the DSCTA.
The association alleged that efforts are being made "surreptitiously" to change the name of the evening classes, urging DU's elected representatives to block any such attempts. They stressed that opening a new college with a different name would require permission from the University Grants Commission, which has not been obtained to their knowledge.
This opposition underscores ongoing tensions between administrative proposals and faculty concerns at Delhi University, highlighting broader issues of governance, legal compliance, and academic integrity in higher education institutions.
