The Hindu : Front Page : Order apportioning MBA, MCA seats stayed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 12, 2006

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Order apportioning MBA, MCA seats stayed

Staff Reporter

Judge has ordered notice to Higher Education Secretary and other educational authorities

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has stayed the operation of a Government Order dated July 21, 2006, apportioning the seats for self-supporting MBA/MCA courses in aided minority institutions between the Government and the management in the ratio of 50:50 in so far as American College and Fatima College of Madurai are concerned.

Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar granted the interim stay while admitting individual writ petitions moved by the colleges. The Judge also ordered notice to the Higher Education Secretary and other educational authorities.

The common grievance of the colleges was that they were conducting MBA/MCA courses for more than 10 years without receiving any financial assistance or grant-in-aid. Though the managements were permitted to fill the entire intake until 2004, the State Government, on February 21, 2004, passed an order apportioning the seats in aided minority institutions at the rate of 30 per cent for Government and the rest for the managements. The order came into effect during the academic year 2004-05.

Subsequently, on February 16, 2005, the Government passed another order reserving only 20 per cent of seats for the management leaving the rest to be filled up with Government-sponsored students, from the academic year 2005-06. Both the colleges challenged the second order before the Madurai Bench and the court, on August 12, 2005, stayed the operation of the order pending disposal of the main writ petition. When the matter stood thus, the Government had come out with another order this year to apportion only 50 per cent of the seats to the management, the colleges said and sought to quash the order.

Petitioners' counsel said the impugned order, if implemented, would virtually saddle the 50 per cent minority candidates.

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