Chennai: The Madras High Court today upheld the 7.5 per cent reservation for government school students to secure admissions in undergraduate medical courses in Tamilnadu colleges.
The first bench headed by Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy pronounced the verdict on a batch of petitions filed by private school students challenging the reservation and aided school students seeking similar benefits to them as well.
‘We direct the state government to review the same in a period of five years as recommended by the commission and during the intervening period steps may be taken to improve the standard of education in government schools so that the reservation may not be further extended beyond five years,’ the court said.
During the hearing, the government said the quota was meant to bridge the gap between the rural-urban and rich-poor sections in medical admissions and that the state has is empowered and competent enough to bring in such institutional preferences.
Chief Minister M K Stalin today said the order of the Madras High Court upholding the 7.5 per cent reservation for NEET-qualified State government school students in undergraduate medical degree courses in Tamilnadu was a major appreciation from the court for the reservation implemented in a preferential manner after a thorough consultation and adequate data.