THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government on Friday clarified that the reservation of seats in private universities for students in state and maintaining SC/ST and OBC quota within it won’t face any legal roadblocks. The move comes after many raised concerns over a recent Supreme Court ruling against domicile-based reservations in a case related to medical PG admissions.
The Private Universities Bill, passed recently by the assembly, stipulates reserving 40% of the seats in each course for permanent residents of the state. Among these, reservations for SC/ST/OBC students would apply.
Asked about the concerns that the reservation of seats in private universities to ensure social justice would not be legally tenable, Higher Education Minister R Bindu told TNIE that the Supreme Court verdict was given in a different context.
“The SC ruling against state domicile-based reservations was for admissions on the basis of NEET-PG which is an all-India examination,” Bindu said. The minister said the ruling would not be applicable for private universities that are approved by the state government and function as per the UGC regulations.
“In case any problems arise in the proposed reservation norms, the Bill has provisions to address them,” the minister said. She added that similar domicile-based reservations exist in other states and the state government has incorporated the clause after proper legal scrutiny.
The setting apart of 40% of the seats in each course for permanent residents of the state was a major point of debate during the discussion on the Bill earlier this week in the assembly. Prof Abid Hussain Thangal, member of the assembly standing committee on education, has demanded more clarity on this aspect.
“Unless detailed provisions are laid down in the Bill on how reservation norms applicable in the state will be implemented in private universities, it will undoubtedly lead to legal battles,” the MLA had warned.