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'Verdict upholds federal structure'

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Kerala Education Minister M.A. Baby on Friday described the Supreme Court decision not to entertain petitions challenging the legislation enacted by the State Assembly fixing quotas in self-financing minority and non-minority educational institutions from this academic year as a verdict upholding the federal structure of Indian polity.

Briefing mediapersons here soon after the court asked the petitioners challenging the Kerala Professional Colleges (Prohibition of Capitation Fees, Regulation of Admissions, Fixation of Non-Exploitative Fees and Other Measures to Ensure Equity and Excellence in Professional Education) Act, 2006, to approach the Kerala High Court, he said the court had upheld the federal principles of India's judicial system.

Mr. Baby sought the cooperation of professional college managements in ironing out the apprehensions they had about the Act. The Government was willing to discuss all contentious issues.

This willingness was also articulated by Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan later in the day at a separate media briefing. Asked whether the Government would institute vigilance inquiries into corruption charges against some of the private managements, the Chief Minister did not rule out the possibility. However, he said the Government would like to discuss matters with managements first before making any move on this front.

On allegations that Mr. Baby had misled the Assembly in the matter of the Government's request to the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions to review its decision to grant minority status to six self-financing professional colleges in the State, the Chief Minister said an inquiry was on and the report would be ready next week. Further, he said, preliminary inquiry showed that officials in Mr. Baby's department had misled him.

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