BANGALORE: The State Government will reportedly seek the Law Department's opinion on filing a review petition in the Supreme Court against a recent judgment, which ruled that States cannot fix reservations or student quota in private unaided and minority professional colleges.

The petition will seek reservation in unaided professional colleges and a certain percentage of seats for Karnataka students. The State Government is likely to press for a Central legislation to create a provision for reservation and government quota in unaided and minority professional colleges. A draft of the Bill has been sent to all States. Karnataka is expected to file its reply this month to the Human Resources Development Ministry circular on draft Bill.

ABVP opposition

Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has opposed the draft Bill, termed "The Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulations of Admissions and Fixation of Fee) Act 2005." The Bill will be a disaster if it is passed in its current form, the ABVP national general secretary K.N. Raghunandan said.

The parishad wants the Union and State governments to hold a comprehensive discussion on the draft Bill by eliciting the views of student organisations, education experts and private college managements.

The draft Bill, Mr. Raghunandan said, did not specify the reservations for meritorious and poor students. Besides, the draft Bill's proposals for 50 per cent quota for the management seats, a separate entrance test for management admissions and fee fixation based on the expenditure for college building and land were all against the recommendations of various education committees, he said.

It envisages fixing of 15 per cent seats in aided colleges for management quota and 50 per cent in unaided minority colleges.

New problems: Kharge

Minister for Water Resources M. Mallikarjuna Kharge said the Supreme Court ruling has created a fresh set of problems.

In a statement to the press, he said that judgment would be detrimental to the future of a large number of students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the weaker sections. Allowing private colleges to decide on the fee structure on their own will place the students under the mercy of the private managements.

Stating that the implementation of the judgment would destroy the Congress's long cherished dream of social justice, he urged that Centre to intervene to protect the future of students. It should also bring in a legislation to guarantee reservation for the students belonging to reserved categories in the admissions to professional courses, Mr. Kharge said.

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