It is time to settle the many ongoing disputes at St Stephen’s College, the Delhi High Court said on Friday.

Justice P K Bhasin of the Delhi High Court expressed concern about the continued legal battles between the who’s who of the elite institution.

“Why do you keep fighting? Why don’t all of you sit down and settle the differences?” the judge asked the battery of lawyers appearing variously for the college, principal Valson Thampu and the college’s Governing Body.

The court is hearing a number of rounds of litigation, involving various members of the college administration, mainly the Governing Body, the Supreme Council and the Bishop of Delhi, Rev. Sunil Kumar Singh, who is the Chairman.

The court’s comments came on a recent challenge by Thampu against a decision to put him under probation. He had submitted that it was just a pretext to remove him. On the other hand, the college administration alleged that Thampu’s arguments were false.

The lawyer for the Governing Body and Supreme Council, Sunil Mathews, said efforts were on to settle the issue out of court and as part of it, Thampu had agreed to withdraw the case against them.

But Thampu is strongly pitching his case, arguing that no principals in the past have ever been put on probation. “If my probation is not withdrawn I too cannot withdraw the case,” Thampu’s lawyer told the court.

It was then that Justice Bhasin intervened and asked both sides to thrash out their differences amicably through talks and come back to the court on January 17.

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