ERODE: Mere technicality has robbed Chandran, hailing from the remote hamlet of Sundaipodu in Bargur Hill near Andhiyur, from being the first tribal boy to pursue a course at TANUVAS and becoming a veterinarian. Despite having cleared class XII with a good score and emerging first among tribal students this year, he could not get a seat at the university as the reservation norms has reduced the number of seats in his category to 0.18.
TANUVAS has 340 seats for the Bachelor of Veterinary Science course. This includes the 18 seats (5 per cent) for students of the vocational stream. Chandran had taken up this stream in higher secondary classes and, hence, applied under this category. However, as per norms, only one per cent of the reserved five per cent is allotted for students of the ST community. This means that there is only one seat for an ST student of the vocational stream for every 100 seats. With TANUVAS having only 18 seats under the category, one per cent of that would be 0.18 seats. Hence, the university is unable to allot a seat to Chandran.
When Chandran did not get a seat last week, Tamil Nadu SHRC member and judge Durai Jayachandran took up the issue as a suo motu case and sent a notice to TANUVAS. Meanwhile, NGO Sudar — the organisation that helped Chandran get education — has moved the High Court; the petition has been admitted. Sudar Director S C Nataraj said, “He is one among 11 children of the tribal family in Sundaipodu hamlet. He worked hard and qualified for the seat at TANUVAS. However, citing technical reasons, he has been denied a seat. Why could he not be given a seat outside the quota, given he has enough marks in class XII and on the merit list?”