SC slams Punjab government’s 'NRI quota' expansion, labels it 'fraud'
- In Reports
- 12:09 AM, Sep 26, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the Punjab government's appeal against a High Court decision to cancel the expansion of the 'NRI quota.' The policy proposed by the AAP-led state government intended to extend NRI quota benefits to distant relatives for admission to medical and dental colleges in Punjab. The Apex Court harshly rejected the Punjab government's argument, declaring, "This fraud must end now."
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, led the bench in denouncing the scheme as a “money-spinning machine” and dismissed all petitions pertaining to it. “This NRI business is nothing but a fraud. We will put an end to all this.... now the so called precedents must give way to primacy of law,” PTI quoted the bench as saying.
The bench of the SC referred to the High Court's decision as "absolutely right" and emphasised the significance of granting such extensions to deserving students. “Look at the deleterious consequences... the candidates who have three times higher marks will lose admission (in NEET-UG courses),” said the bench. The Supreme Court declared on Tuesday that it is totally unacceptable and cannot be permitted for distant relatives of a "mama, tai, taya" who have relocated abroad to be admitted before deserving applicants.
The Punjabi government has allowed distant relatives of NRIs to apply for admission to MBBS and BDS programs offered by colleges in Punjab, thereby extending the benefit of the NRI quota.
On September 10, the Punjab and Haryana High Court disapproved of the state government's decision to give college admission advantages to relatives who live far away, such as "uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins." In both government and private medical institutes, 15% of all seats are set aside for NRI candidates under the current scheme.
According to a Hindustan Times report, all medical and dental colleges in Punjab reserve approximately 185 NRI quota seats in MBBS and 196 seats in BDS. However, most of them remain vacant due to the absence of eligible candidates.
Image source: Business Standard
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