Government gives Nod for Admissions to Elite Schools

Government gives Nod for Admissions to Elite Schools

Without OBC quota till apex court decides

New Delhi: Putting an end to quota suspense, constituents of the Congress-led UPA and its Left allies today gave their Nod to the government to allow IIMs. IITs and other central educational institutions to proceed with admissions for general, SC and ST categories for the coming academic session without the OBC quota for the moment.

A meeting of the ruling UPA constituents and Left allies, concerned to assure a wider political consensus on the OBC quota issue, backed the HRD Ministry’s proposal to fill the seats as per last year’s norms and leave out the enhanced seats to accommodate the 27 per cent OBC quota till the Supreme Court decides the matter, scheduled for hearing on May 8.

The move comes as a much-awaited relief for thousands of IIM aspirants who future was hanging in balance in balance while the Government and the judiciary argued over implementation of 27 per cent OBC quota.

Under the Centre’s formala, 1, 24,377 general and SC and ST candidates will be offered admission while 12,216 seats under the expansion programme to accommodate the OBC quota will be filled at the apex court’s decision.

While giving their nod, political parties, particularly the Left, asked the government to ensure that there was a fallback in case the stay on the 27 per cent quota for OBCs in the elite educational institution was not vacated by the apex court.

The pro-reservation DMK and RJD, earlier opposed to IIMs admitting students at this stage, toed the government line in today’s meeting.

Emerging from the meeting, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters that through the government was confident of getting the court to vacate the stay, his party suggested that the government kept an option which could be another legislation or an amendment to the Constitution.

On Wednesday night, the government had failed to take decision issue after differences surfaced among UPA partners with key allies including the DMK, the PMK and even the RJD turning down the government request to allow admission without the OBC quota. The government then decided to call a meeting of its allies to ensure that the move to allow admissions got full political backing.

Issue rocks Parliament:

New Delhi: The OBC quota issue on Thursday rocked Parliament with members questioning the judiciary for putting on hold the 27 per cent reservation in elite educational institutes and demanded convening of a joint session to ensure implementation of the quota from this academic year.

The issue, which led to an impromptu discussion the Lock Sabha, saw members asserting the Parliament was supreme and demanding in unison that reservation be made applicable from this academic year it self through a constitutional amendment.

C. Kuppuswamy (DMK) and L Ganeshan (MDMK) spoke about the stand taken by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and said if needed, a joint session be for the purpose.

All the end of the discussion, the Speaker observed: “Let us hope the sentiments expressed in the House will be duly noted”

“We must also respect the judiciary… They are also entitled to respect against recording statements concerning courts.

The issue also figured in the Rajya Sabha but nothing could be in the din.

Government gives Nod for Admissions to Elite Schools

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