New Delhi, June 14: Delhi’s St Stephen’s College is set to reserve 50 per cent seats for Christians from this academic session under a controversial new admission policy that could trigger protests from some faculty members and alumni.

The college administration has decided to raise the quota for Christians from 40 per cent last year despite concerns expressed by some faculty members that the move could dilute the institution’s “brand”, a source in the college supreme council said.

These faculty members were consulted during the drafting of the new policy, likely to be announced next week. It could be unveiled on Monday, the last date for submission of applications for admission this year, the source said.

Till 2006, Christians enjoyed a 30 per cent quota, while general category students were eligible for half the seats. The remaining 20 per cent were reserved for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students.

To accommodate the increased quota for Christians without further reducing opportunities for general category students — which would have met with strong opposition — the college will reduce the SC/ST quota by half this year, the source said. But it plans to increase seats next year to negate the quota’s effect on non-Christian students.

“We will need to increase seats by 20 per cent to ensure that general category and SC/ST candidates have the same number of seats available as last year. This rise is unlikely this year, but should be in place by the 2009 academic session,” the source said.

Article 30 of the Constitution allows minority educational institutions the freedom to administer themselves, even if they receive funding from the government.

Minority education institutions are not bound to reserve seats for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or other backward classes.

St Stephen’s College is a minority institution affiliated to Delhi University that receives funding from the University Grants Commission, the body in charge of financing India’s government varsities.

But the college has traditionally reserved 20 per cent seats for SC/ST students.

An increase in the quota for Christians from 30 per cent to 40 per cent last year — which reduced general category seats from 50 per cent to 40 per cent — under then principal Valson Thampu had been opposed within the “Stephanian community”, a term used to describe faculty, students and alumni.

The college had then also reserved a fourth of the Christian seats for Dalits within the community. That decision was revoked after Thampu resigned earlier this year.