CHENNAI: Two days after the Madras High Court struck down the State Government admission policy on professional courses, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced that the Supreme Court would be moved to stay the operation of the order.

"Every effort will be made to obtain a quick decision. Based on the decision of the Supreme Court, a further announcement will be made by my Government on the question of operationalising the order of the High Court to hold a Common Entrance Test for the Academic Year 2006-2007," the Chief Minister said in a statement.

Though the Division Bench of the High Court had not upheld the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Admissions in Professional Courses Act, the twin objectives of her Government — reduction of examination burden on all students and elimination of handicap faced by rural students — continued to be the same. "My Government will immediately take up the issue in the Supreme Court in order to ensure that the Act is upheld."

Conscious of the anxiety of parents and students in knowing the exact position on the system to be followed, she said: "Keeping the need to resolve this anxiety amidst parents and students uppermost in mind, my Government will take early steps to set out the policy on admissions for professional courses for the academic year 2006-2007."

Traumatic experience

Tracing the genesis of the quashed Act, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the common entrance test imposed a handicap on rural students who could not find the wherewithal to be coached for it. Parents and students had appealed to her to help them out of the "traumatic experience" of having to take a number of examinations as part of the State Board Examination for Plus II followed by entrance examinations for different courses.

So, the Government issued an order in June 2005 laying down a revised system. The scheme was intended to rely only on the Plus II marks in determining the merit for admission.

The High Court quashed the Government order. So, the earlier CET system was restored for 2005-06.

It was against this backdrop that the legislation was enacted and it came into force from February 18. The complete scheme was set out in the Rules, which were also notified on the same day.

Under the Act, the Plus II examination under the State Board was made the basis for admission to professional courses.

While students of the State Board did not have to appear for the CET, students from other boards were required to take the Test based on the State Board syllabus, as they had to be brought on to the same platform, she said.

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