Quota to terror-affected families: HC refuses to interfere

The Punjab and Haryana high court has refused to issue directions to the Punjab government for providing quota in admission to the MBBS course in state-affiliated private colleges for the wards of terror and riot-affected families.

The division bench of justice SS Saron and justice Amol Rattan Singh said it was for the state government to consider where reservation was to be provided. The court also requested the government to consider the matter in the next academic session, 2016-17, saying it hoped the state government would consider the matter before issuing the notification for admission to the MBBS/BDS course in the state medical colleges for the next session.

The high court was hearing a petition by Vishal Sharma of Gurdaspur, who had filed an appeal after his petition was dismissed by a single-judge bench on September 28, 2015. He had argued that there should be reservation of seats for riot/terror-affected candidates seeking admission to the MBBS course in the government quota of seats in medical institutes under Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot.

For the session 2015-16, BFUHS had provided 1% reservation under the category only in government medical colleges. The petitioner had cited a 2006 notification, whereby provisions of facility of free education up to final (MA/M Sc) completion in general education in government/government-aided institutes/universities; payment of stipend to school/college-going children; and reservation of seats in admission to professional/technical/medical institutes were stated to be continued. He had argued that despite the said reservation being continued, it was not being provided in the government quota of privately managed colleges.