Thiruvananthapuram: A Malayali student in Pondicherry University has filed a case in the Chennai High Court against the failure of the university administration in implementing Central Educational Institution (Reservation in Admissions) Act 2007 and Amendment Act 2012. The case was filed by Srutheesh Kannadi, an activist of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) who completed MA Mass Communication from Pondicherry University. He had written the PhD entrance examinations of the university this year. However, when the results of the examinations were out, he noticed the fact that the university did not implement the Act.
The University Grants Commission had formally communicated both the Act and the amendment Act to Registrars of all Central Universities for implementation. The Act had clearly stated that out of the annual permitted strength in each branch of study or faculty, 15 per cent seats would be reserved for the Scheduled Castes; and 7.5 per cent seats to the Scheduled Tribes. The Act also provided 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes.
However, the administration has misinterpreted the clause. For example, if there are two seats, one seat is kept as unreserved, and second seat, which has to be allotted to the reserved categories, is allotted for OBC. If there are three seats, two are kept as general and one is reserved for OBC. Only when there are four seats, one is allotted for SC. Similarly, a ST would get an opportunity only when a department has eight or more seats, Mr Kannadi said. In case of PhD admissions it is very rare that a department may have more than seven or eight vacancies in a particular year.
If a department announces three vacancies for 10 years, then as per this method of reservation there will be 20 general category students and 10 OBC, and no SC and ST students will be admitted. Though, SC-ST Employees Welfare Association and the ASA had taken up an agitation to compel the University administration to implement Central Educational Institution, authorities did not relent, hence Srutheesh moved the court.
