MADURAI: In recognition of the selfless service of defence personnel, the Tamil Nadu government should reserve at least one per cent of medical seats for their children from the next academic year, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court said recently.
The court also directed the Union government to revisit its priority list within three months so that equal importance is given to all sections during MBBS and BDS seat distribution. The observations were made by a Division Bench of Justices N Kirubakaran (now retired) and B Pugalendhi, while dismissing an appeal filed by the State government in 2019.
The government had challenged an order passed by a single judge of the court granting relief to two medical aspirants — D Kuralarasan and A Priyanka — who were unable to avail reservation after the Tamil Nadu government excluded wards of serving defence personnel from the priority list in 2018. The single judge had held that wards of serving defence personnel are also entitled to reservation in medical admission, citing a GO.