No stay on MBBS admissions under 7.5 percent govt school quota: Madras HC

The New Indian Express reports that according to the petitioners, as the existing scheme of reservation is already enough, introducing an additional reservation for government school students is not justified. The counsel for the petitioner submitted that the supreme court has set a 50% benchmark for reservation in educational institutions. However, with the newly introduced Government quota, the state already is providing 69% reservation in admission to government educational institutions which is clearly in opposition to the supreme court's direction.

Moreover, articles 14 and 15 of the constitution can only be applied in the case of socially and educationally backward classes and economically weaker sections of society. However, the States Government quota does not come under any of these classifications. 

 According to the daily, Advocate-General Vijay Narayan, representing the state, submitted that the reservation has been introduced based on the recommendations of Justice Kalaiyarasan Committee. The petitioners claimed that the same report should be displayed in the court as well. After considering the submissions, the bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy clarified though they will not stop the admission process now, they will be giving due consideration and a proper hearing to the submission of the petitioner after Pongal vacation. The bench directed the State to submit the report of the committee and file a counter, reports the daily. 

The creation of an additional 7.5 % government school quota in the medical education sector has faced significant legal action previously as well. The Medical Dialogues team had reported that appearing before the branch comprising justice Anand Venkatesh the counsel for a group of medical spirants submitted that they were unable to secure Medical admission in the institutions of their choice under the government school quota as it was not possible for them to pay the fee of Medical and dental courses. The petitioners stated that if the state government would have announced that it would sponsor all students who were allotted a seat in self-financing colleges under the government quota a bit earlier then the petitioner would not have opted for being waitlisted.

After this, the high court suggested that if additional seats can be arranged in each of the government medical colleges then all the waitlisted candidates who could not secure admission under the government quota would be able to secure admission and sought the opinion of NMC on the same. Responding to the court query NMC stated that the creation of such additional MBBS seats was not possible especially as it needs the supreme court's prior approval.