New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Delhi University, the University Grants Commission and the central government on the implementation of the semester system in the varsity's arts stream for 2011-12.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjeev Khanna said, "Issue notice to all the respondents. The matter will be heard on May 11."

"Today who is the sufferer. It is neither the university nor the teachers, but the... students," said the judges.

A group of university teachers approached the Delhi High Court challenging the university's April 19 notification for implementation of the semester system in the arts stream for 2011-12. The teachers' union also demanded quashing of the notification.

As of now, there are 13 courses, including physics, chemistry, botany and zoology, which follow the semester system in the university.

The petitioner pleaded before the court that Vice Chancellor Dinesh Kumar's emergency power should be curtailed so that he may not take any action against the teachers.

The petitioner said that before issuing the notification there should be a transparent procedure in which teachers, students, college dean and academicians sit together and sort out the problem.

Another petition on the issue, filed by the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), is also pending before the court. The DUTA approached the court against the earlier introduction of the semester system for the science stream. IANS