Scrap tyagis quota for MBBS admission, says Madras HC

Chennai: Pointing out that the freedom fighter quota for admission to MBBS courses remains only on paper, the Madras HC has directed the state government to remove the quota. Under the quota, three seats are reserved for children of freedom fighters to MBBS courses every year.

Stating that the government was not obligated to create an inheritable right, Justice V. Ramasubramanian gave the directive while dismissing a petition from V.G. Subramaniyan, son of V. Ganesan, a freedom fighter.

The petition sought a direction from the authorities to grant admission to his daughter, the granddaughter of a freedom fighter, under the quota.

Contending that no seats could be filled up for children of freedom fighters, as they were more than 50 years old, the petitioner sought a direction to the authorities to grant admission to his daughter, who secured 1,159 marks in plus-two, to the 2014-15 MBBS course in any one of the government medical colleges.

Rejecting his contention, Justice Ramasubramanian upheld the decision of the government to exclude grandchildren of freedom fighters from the quota.

Pointing to the counter-affidavit filed by the medical education department that for the past 15 years this quota could not be filled up for want of eligible candidates, the judge said, “In such an event, I do not know why this reservation should exist at all on paper, and the category itself should be removed from the prospectus in future years. Since no such person has been available in the past 15 years, they are not going to be available hereafter also.”