Dismissed

Azeem v. Jamia Millia Islamia through Its Hony Director Games and Sports Department Jmi New Delhi 110025 & O

Delhi HC14 Jan 2026W.P.(C)/471/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

A university student sought a writ direction to participate in the All India Inter-University Shooting Tournament despite being 25 years old on the cut-off date of 01.07.2025, when eligibility required participants to be under 25 years. The court held he did not qualify and dismissed the petition.

What the court decided

AI extract

Azeem Vs Jamia Millia Islamia through Its Hony… — Education and Admissions | Delhi HC (2026)

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$~81

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

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W.P.(C) 471/2026 & CM APPL. 2321/2026 AZEEM .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Rizwan Ahmed ,Mr.Himanshu Gupta, Mr. Shoaib Ansari, Mr. Mohd Tauheed, Mr. Shah Alam, Mr.Rishibh, Advs.

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versus

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JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA THROUGH ITS HONY DIRECTOR GAMES AND SPORTS DEPARTMENT JMI NEW DELHI 110025 & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr Pritish Sabharwal, SC for R1 Mr. Ripu Daman Bharadwaj, Adv. for R3 Mr. Vinay Kaushik, GP

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CORAM:

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HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE JASMEET SINGH

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O R D E R

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% 14.01.2026 CM APPL. 2308/2026

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Exemption allowed, subject to all just exceptions.

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The application is disposed of.

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W.P.(C) 471/2026

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This is a writ petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking direction to allow the petitioner to participate in All India Inter-University Shooting 10M Air Pistol & Air Rifle (Men & Women) Tournament for the academic session 2025–26, scheduled to commence from 27th January to 29^th January, 2026.

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The brief facts are that the petitioner is a B. A. (Hons.) student in Jamia Millia Islamia, respondent No. 1. The respondent No.1 conducted trials for All India Inter-University Shooting 10M Air Pistol & Air Rifle (Men & Women) Tournament on 24.12.2025 wherein the petitioner secured

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 19/01/2026 at 13:14:33

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a score of 580/600. The eligibility criteria for the tournament prescribes that the students who are between 17 to 25 years of age as on 01.07.2025 are eligible to participate in the said tournament. The petitioner was born exactly on 01.07.2025.

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Mr. Ahmed, learned counsel for the petitioner, states that the fact that the eligibility criteria prescribes the age of participant between 17 to 25 years would mean that a candidate up to the age 25 years would be eligible and the petitioner turned 25 years old on 01.07.2025.

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Mr. Sabharwal, learned standing counsel for respondent No. 1, has drawn my attention to the clarification dated 18.08.2023 issued by the respondent No. 2 to all the universities, which read as under:

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 19/01/2026 at 13:14:33

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 19/01/2026 at 13:14:33

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He also draws my attention to chapter 6 of the eligibility and documents for Inter University Tournament wherein Clause 6.1 reads as under:

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“ CHAPTER VI - ELIGIBILITY AND DOCUMENTS FOR INTER-UNIVERSITY TOURNAMENTS

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6.1 Eligibility for Inter-University Competitions

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a) Age:

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i) Minimum: 17 years on or before commencement of the tournament;

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ii) Maximum: under 25 years as of 1 July of the academic year.

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b) Academic Eligibility:

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i) Only a bona fide student, who is currently enrolled/registered for a degree or diploma at the University/College whose status is recognized by the appropriate authority of the country, which is of a minimum duration of one academic year and whose examination is conducted by the university, shall be eligible to participate in Inter-University Games and fulfil the following conditions. ii) Students must be formally registered in program (degree/diploma/certificate/research) of a minimum one-year duration at a recognized institution. and must or

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iii) Maximum participation period shall not exceed from 17-25 years of age have passed 10+2 equivalent examination iv) Students in dual degree programs may represent only one

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 19/01/2026 at 13:14:33

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university per academic year, to be declared prior to registration.

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iv) The students studying in distance and online mode through proper registration at universities with a minimum duration of a one-year course are eligible to participate in the InterUniversity Games.

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v) Foreign students are eligible to participate only in the InterUniversity tournaments. However, the total number of foreign players in a team should not be more than 10% of the team. For small teams, where the total number of players is less than 10 members, one foreign student can be allowed in the team.

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c) Employment Status:

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i) Inter-University Tournaments: Full-time government employees are ineligible.

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ii) International Tournaments: Employed students may participate if they satisfy FISU/AUSF criteria.

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d) Institutional Representation:

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i) A student shall not represent multiple universities in one academic year.

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ii) Migrated students shall become eligible only after completion of formal admission regularization and issue of Bonafide certification with migration certificate”

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A perusal of the above letter dated 18.08.2023 and eligibility criteria shows that the participant has to be under 25 years of age on 1^st , July of the academic year. The petitioner on 01.07.2025 was not under 25 years but was 25 years old.

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 19/01/2026 at 13:14:33

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For the said reasons, though it is a hard case for the petitioner, but the rule does not permit the petitioner to participate.

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The document handed over in court is taken on record.

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The petition is dismissed.

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JASMEET SINGH, J

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JANUARY 14, 2026/AS

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 19/01/2026 at 13:14:33

Azeem v. Jamia Millia Islamia through Its Hony Director Games and Sports Department Jmi New Delhi 110025 & O

Case brief

What is this about?

What the court decided

Azeem v. Jamia Millia Islamia through Its Hony Director Games and Sports Department Jmi New Delhi 110025 & O

Case brief

What is this about?

What the court decided

A compact analysis

Issues for consideration

Statutes considered

Parties & counsel

Coram

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