NITs, Central Universities to Follow IITs and Ignore 4.5% Sub Quota

The central educational institutes are all set to follow the IITs in putting a hold on the 4.5% minority quota. This comes after the IITs decided to put a hold on the quota, following a directive by the Andhra Pradesh high court. However, the institute has decided to make arrangements to accommodate the quota incase the ruling is stayed.

The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) has written to central institutes including the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other central universities asking them to follow the ruling of the high court. They have also asked the institutes to devise a plan to accommodate the quota incase the verdict is overturned or stayed.


Sources from the ministry revealed that the government is consulting the department of legal affairs regarding filing a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court. The petition will be filed against the judgment of the high court, in order to obtain a stay order on the verdict. The central institutes have been asked to provide all possible flexibility in the process of admission and counseling in case of changes in the verdict.


Admission to courses at Delhi University and to programs such as the Masters in Technology at the NITs has already begun. The MHRD is expecting to resolve the issue by June 10, 2012.


The IITs had issued an advisory to all students from minority quotas and OBC quotas regarding the judgment of the high court, last week. The advisory informed candidates that the provision for 4.5% reservation would be ignored and the seats for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)-Minority would be converted to OBC (Non creamy layer) seats. However, the notice also notified students to select as many course choices as possible so that they can secure a seat in IITs regardless of the verdict of Supreme Court.


The government had announced the sub quota of 4.5% in December 2011.The quota was supposed to be carved out of the existing 27% seats reserved for OBC quota for non-creamy layer minorities for admission to CEIs and government employment opportunities. Although the Law minister Salman Khurshid has declared that the high court's ruling will be challenged in Supreme Court, there is a possibility that the government may initiate an amendment of the constitution in order to retain the 4.5% sub quota if the judgment of Supreme Court is unfavorable.

Source: Indian Express

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