Last years quota for self-financing colleges till judgement

Chennai, Aug 07 (UNI) Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu Government and college managements to maintain the previous year's quota system till August 11 for admission of students to MBA/MCA courses in Self-Financing colleges.

Ms Justice Prabha Sridevan passed the interim order and posted to August 11, further hearing of the petition filed by the Association of Self-Financing Arts, Science and Management Colleges of Tamil Nadu, seeking to quash a GO dated July 20, 2006, that non-minority unaided institutions should surrender 65 per cent seats to the state and the remaining might be held by them for admission on their own.

Minority-unaided institutions should surrender 50 per cent seats to the State Government and the remaining 50 per cent might be held by them for admission by themselves, the GO had said.

When the petition came up, Advocate General R Viduthalai assured the court that last year's quota system would be maintained till August 11. The managements too said they would maintain it.

Recording the assurances, the judge directed the Association to inform all the managements about the order.

The Association submitted that in 2004, the government and managements mutually agreed to seat sharing. Non-minority unaided colleges should surrender 50 per cent seats to the state government and the remaining might be held by them for admission by themselves.

Minority-unaided institutions should surrender 30 per cent seats to the state government and the remaining 70 per cent might be held by them for admission on their own. Though, as per the Supreme Court judgement, managements need not surrender seats to the government, the arrangement came in force after talks.

The GO referred to this court's judgement dated July 6, 2006. To this, it was submitted that the said judgement arose from challenging an order passed by the Permanent Committee dated May 9, 2006, on admission to UG BE/BTech courses in self-financing engineering colleges, and not on admission to PG courses.

So, the case decided by the High Court only related to UG engineering courses and not PG courses, the Association contended.

It added that it was prepared to follow the seat sharing ratio stated by the GO, which was followed in the state for the last three years. It had conducted a common entrance test on July 17, 2006 for PG courses, pursuant to the order of the permanent committee dated June 16. The results were declared on July 21 and students admitted by members as per seat sharing ratio adopted for the last two years.

So, the impugned order at this stage would be arbitrary, the Assocation contended.

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