Our Story

Before our time – a history of St Stephen’s College

Foundations of the college

The foundation of our college is dated to February 1, 1881. At the time it was established, there was no other college in Delhi, since the Government College, also known simply as Delhi College, had been closed in 1877. The new college opened in rented premises in Katra Khushal Rai, just off Kinari Bazar. The first home of the college, a haveli known as Sheesh Mahal, still exists, and bears a plaque. Here, the first principal, Rev Samuel Scott Allnutt and two other members of the Cambridge Mission began to teach five boys, preparing them for the exams of the Calcutta University.

Clearly the college was fulfilling an important need for higher education in Delhi, and the strength of the student body increased to 62 in four years time, outgrowing its premises. A government grant enabled the establishment of new premises at Kashmiri Gate, where the college moved in 1891. The grey Delhi quartzite and red sandstone building was in an Indo-Saracenic style popular at the time, and was designed by the famous architect Samuel Swinton Jacob. It now houses the Delhi State Election Commission. Hostel buildings were simultaneously built across the road, in the same style.

Kashmiri Gate

The Kashmiri gate years were momentous for the staff and students of the college, as the rising national movement affected opinion within the college. Debates on Indian political aspirations began to gather momentum, encouraged by members of staff such as C.F. Andrews, who had begun to teach in the college in 1904. The college management was also recognizing Indian aspirations, for instance with the appointment of S.K. Rudra as Principal in 1907.

Outside college, teachers such as Prof Raghbar Dayal and alumni such as Syed Hyder Raza and Amir Chand participated in nationalist activities such as the Swadeshi movement. The latter two used the press to spread their revolutionary ideas, and inspired by their example, many students joined a secret revolutionary club. Amir Chand and another ex-Stephanian, Awadh Behari, were involved with Rashbehari Bose in the attempt to assassinate Viceroy Hardinge in December 1912. Another alumnus, Har Dayal, went on to become one of the founders of the Ghadar Party, an organization of expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule.


Other alumni, such as the barrister Asaf Ali, were involved in mainstream nationalist politics. The first batch of women students admitted in 1928 included Sucheta Mozumdar, who later married Acharya Kriplani and became a prominent Congress leader.

Nationalist politics also entered St Stephen’s College in the 1910s through Vice Principal Andrews and Principal Rudra. Mahatma Gandhi, on his return to India from South Africa, stayed in Rudra’s house, as he did on several subsequent visits to Delhi. Because of this, the principal’s house became the rendezvous of several nationalist leaders and thinkers such as Rabindranath Tagore, Madan Mohan Malviya, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and Surendra Nath Banerjee. 

Contd …

New university, new campus

In the meanwhile, Delhi had become the capital of British India in 1912, and work had started on building a city, New Delhi. An area within the city had been allocated for educational institutions, including St Stephen’s College, just north of what was to become Feroz Shah Road. The college authorities responded by drawing up blueprints for buildings that would come up on the plot. But this was not to be. One factor may certainly have been that the government soon became vary of the idea of having protesting students in the heart of the capital. The small triangular park at Kashmiri Gate had become the site of frequent protests by students, since now Hindu College, Ramjas College were also in the area. The other factor was the setting up of Delhi University in the year 1922, and the consequent decision to develop a larger campus. 

This was the beginning of North Campus, where the college too was allotted, in 1934, the plot on which it now stands. A modern style, designed by the architect Walter Sykes George was chosen. Some changes in the building plans happened as construction was on. For instance just as construction was beginning Delhi University decided that science teaching for undergraduates would not take place in the colleges, but would be at the University level. This meant that the college did not need to construct a science block. The place earmarked for it therefore was turned into a centralized dining hall, instead of the originally planned separate dining facilities for each hostel block. Integrated dining facilities was actually a rather bold idea in its time, when prejudices against inter-caste, inter-religious dining were still strong. 



Independence and after

St. Stephen’s had moved into its new buildings in late 1941, but the campus as we know it came up slowly. Delays happened due to various reasons – the lack of funds, disruptions caused by World War II. The chapel was only completed in 1952 (till then services were held in senior combination room. The third block of residences, Mukarji court, was constructed in 1958 (East) and 1968 (West), meeting the increased need for accommodating the increase strength within college following Independence. Between 1951 and 1961, student numbers increased from about 400 to 650. This increase was despite the fact that soon after Independence the college stopped admitting women, and would not let them in again until 1975. The requirement of a science block was eventually also felt, when science teaching began within the college due to a change in university regulations. Thus in 1960 the science block was commissioned. The gymnasium was added in 1973. 

The events of the decades since Independence are very much in living memory – carried by the growing body of alumni. Maybe the time has come for us all to share these little bits of the college each of us carries within us, probably to write a ‘crowd sourced’ history of the more recent decades of St Stephen’s!

Acknowledgements & Credits: 

Ashok Jaitly, St Stephen’s College, a History

St Stephen’s College archives

Swapna Liddle, Batch of 1989, Historian


  • Alumni Spotlight

    We take immense pride in our alumni, who have excelled in diverse fields and made a lasting impact on society. Through this dedicated section, we aim to honor the Stephanians who've walked the hallowed halls of our esteemed institution. Their stories serve as an inspiration for future generations and a reminder of the limitless possibilities that await Stephanians beyond the college gates.

  • Disclaimer

    We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information featured based on publicly available information.

    However, by no means is this an exhaustive list, and we are constantly updating this list.

  • Disclaimer

    Please note that the details and achievements listed are based on publicly available information, and we disclaim any liability for any errors or omissions.

    If you find inaccuracies or if you would like to suggest an addition, please contact us to make corrections.

Alumni

  • Mani Shankar Aiyar

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  • Atishi Singh

    Ms Atishi Singh, also known as Atishi Marlena, is an Indian politician, educator, political activist and MLA from Kalkaji, Delhi. She’s a member of Aam Aadmi Party.

  • Naveen Patnaik

    Mr Naveen Patnaik is an Indian politician and writer serving as the current and 14th Chief Minister of Odisha, representing the Hinjili Assembly constituency since 2000.

  • Savita Vaidhyanathan

    Savita Vaidhyanathan

    Ms Vaidhyanathan is an American politician who served as the mayor of Cupertino, California. She is the first Mayor of Indian descent for the city.

  • Kapil Sibal

    Mr Kapil Sibal is an Indian lawyer and politician. He is widely regarded as one of the famous lawyers of India. He is a MP, in Rajya Sabha and has served as a cabinet minister.

  • R. K. Singh

    Mr Raj Kumar Singh is a former Indian bureaucrat and a current Union Cabinet Minister in the Government of India. He is a former Home Secretary of India.

  • Kunwar Natwar Singh

    Mr Singh, IFS is an Indian diplomat and politician who also served as a Union Minister. He was selected into the Indian Foreign Service in 1953.

  • Shashi Tharoor

    Mr Tharoor is a former diplomat, bureaucrat, politician, noted writer and public intellectual who has been serving as a MP for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009.

  • Sangay Ngedup

    Mr Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup (born 1 July 1953) was Prime Minister of Bhutan from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2006.

  • Salman Khurshid

    Mr Khurshid is an Indian politician, designated senior advocate, eminent author and a law teacher. He was the Minister of External Affairs.

  • Ashwani Kumar

    Mr Kumar is an Indian politician and attorney who formerly served as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha representing the state of Punjab.

  • Sachin Pilot

    Captain Sachin Pilot is a politician. He served as the MoS of Corporate Affairs & MoS Communication & IT, Government of India, and held other notable positions.

  • Najeeb Jung

    Mr Jung is a retired IAS officer who served as the 20th Lt Gov of Delhi from 2013 to 2016. He previously served as the 13th VC of the Jamia Millia Islamia from 2009 to 2013.

  • Sitaram Yechury

    Mr Yechury is a politician and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India , and a member of the Politburo of the CPI(M) since 1992.

  • Swapan Dasgupta

    Mr Dasgupta is a journalist and Indian politician. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. He was conferred with the Padma Bhushan for literature and education.

  • Gopalkrishna Gandhi

    Mr Gandhi served as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal. As a former IAS officer, he served as Secretary to the President of India and held several other notable positions.

  • Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

    Mr Jaishankar is an Indian diplomat and politician serving as the Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India. In 2019, he was conferred with Padma Shri.

  • Dr Abhishek Singhvi

    Dr Singhvi is an Indian senior advocate and politician. As a politician, he is a member of the Congress Party and a Member of the Parliament of India in the Rajya Sabha.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice D Y Chandrachud

    Justice Chandrachud is an Indian jurist who is India's 50th and Chief Justice since November 2022. He has also previously served as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and as a judge of the Bombay High Court.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice S. K. Kaul

    Justice Kaul has been a judge of the Supreme Court of India since 2017. He is the first puisne judge, senior-most after the Chief Justice of India.

  • Hon'ble Mrs Justice Hima Kohli

    Justice Kohli is a judge of the Supreme Court of India. She was the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, and the first woman judge to hold that office. Prior to that, she served as a judge of the Delhi High Court.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed

    Justice Ahmed is the former Chief Justice of the J&K High Court and Judge of Delhi High Court. He has served as Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court twice.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice Ranjan Gogoi

    Justice Gogoi is an Indian former advocate and judge who served as the 46th Chief Justice of India from 2018 to 2019. He is currently a Member of the Rajya Sabha.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice B. N. Kirpal

    Justice B N Kirpal was the 31st Chief Justice of India, serving from 6 May 2002 until his retirement on 7 November 2002.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice Madan Lokur

    Justice Lokur is a judge of the Supreme Court of Fiji. He is former judge of the Supreme Court of India. He is also a former Chief Justice of the AP High Court and Gauhati High Court and judge of the Delhi High Court.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice Vikramajit Sen

    Justice Sen served as a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India from 2012 to 2015. He has also served as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court from 2011 to 2012.

  • Hon'ble Mr Justice Najmi Waziri

    Justice Waziri is a distinguished legal scholar celebrated for his significant contributions and strong commitment to environmental conservation.

  • Dr S. Y. Quraishi

    Dr Quraishi served as 17th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He has also served as a Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

  • Ajay Banga

    Mr Banga is an Indian-born American business executive. He is currently the President of the World Bank Group. He was vice chairman at General Atlantic, and was before that executive chairman of Mastercard.

  • Wajahat Habibullah

    Mr Wajahat Habibullah was the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities. Prior to this, he held the position of the first Chief Information Commissioner of India.

  • Shaktikanta Das

    Mr Das is serving as the current & 25th governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He was earlier a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission and India's Sherpa to the G20.

  • Montek Singh Ahluwalia

    Mr Ahluwalia is an Indian economist and civil servant who was the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India. This position carried the rank of a Cabinet Minister.

  • Navin Chawla

    Mr Chawla is a retired Indian civil servant and writer who served as the 16th Chief Election Commissioner of India. He rose to the highest rank of Secretary to the Government of India.

  • Vikram Doraiswami

    Mr Doraiswami is the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. Prior to this appointment, he was the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh.

Our alumni list is never complete and is constantly being updated … stay tuned.

Credits alumni list: Kannita Biswas