KOCHI: The High Court on Wednesday dismissed the petitions filed by Karuna Medical College (MC) and Travancore Medical College challenging the seat matrix for Muslim quota prepared by the government for admissions in the colleges.
The court held a minority community educational institution has no right to categorise its beneficiaries into different sects within the community and allocate the community seats reserved for candidates from these different sects.
The petitioners argued Article 30 (1) of the Constitution confers a very valuable right on minority communities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
Government Pleader V Manu submitted the reservation sought for by the petitioners was not permissible either in law or fact. Though minority educational institutions are entitled to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, while making admissions they are bound to make their choice from within a common source of candidates.
Here, the common source is the NEET rank list. They have no freedom to choose their own source of candidates.
Quoting the government’s submission, the HC said some 10,000 Muslim candidates figure in rank list, which is over three times the total number of seats. Hence there are enough candidates for filling up seats in Muslim-run minority educational institutions.
In Karuna MC, of the 70 seats for Muslims - 15 for those from Palakkad, five from All India, seven for dependents of Safe Development Alms Trust, 10 for District Salafi Educational Association, three seats for PMAC Committee, three for dependents of Al Nazar Trust, three for Grace Educational Trust, three for Prime Educational and Charitable Trust, three for KMEA, three for Salsabeel Educational Welfare Trust, five for NRI open merit quota and 10 seats for NRI Muslim community.
As for the seats in Travancore MC, 30 seats have been earmarked for Muslims. The government, however, did not approve the seat matrix. The court declared that the community certificates shall be accepted only if they were issued by the competent revenue officers.