Education Society’s contention: Reservation policy not applicable to minority institutions
the goan I network
PANAJI
The Diocesan Society of Education has filed a petition before the Bombay High Court at Goa arguing that the state reservation policy, which came into effect after the Goa University began implementing the Goa University Admission Ranking Test, a common admission test for all colleges in Goa, is not applicable to minority institutions.
In the petition the DSE alleges that in making reservations mandatory for post graduate courses to colleges affiliated to the Goa University, the notification was in violation of the Constitution of India and specifically Articles 15(5) and 30(1) of the Constitution.
Prior to 2018 for the post graduate programme in both Rosary College and St Xavier’s College there was no interference from the Respondents with respect to the admission process neither any reservation was sought to be imposed upon both colleges as condition for any affiliation or otherwise, the petition claims.
“Both these colleges used
to prepare merit list based on marks obtained by the students in their respective graduation stream. Accordingly the top rankers amongst merit list were enrolled for the respective post graduation courses in a fair, transparent and based purely on merit system,” the petition says.
“For the academic year 2019-20 for the first time GU introduced a common entrance test for students seeking admission to various post graduation degree programmes at Goa University affiliated colleges called GU ART which mandated online registration by all the students seeking admission for any post graduation course... This GU ART system though merit based and is fair and is in the interest of educational excellence, however the GU-ART apart from implementing centralized merit based admission process also seeks to implement state reservation policy on minority educational institutions,” the petition argues.
The petition has sought directions from the High Court that being minority institution in terms of article 30(1) of the Constitution they are not bound by the reservation policy of the state and any condition imposed by virtue of the GU’s notification be declared as not binding on the petitioners, to quash and set aside the notification published by the respondents with respect to imposing reservations on minority educational institutions and pending final disposal of the petition to stay the operation of the impugned notification to the effect that it imposes reservation in admission in minority educational institutions.
In the petition, the DSE has claimed that it has started and has established and administered numerous schools, colleges and other minority educational institutions for the benefit of the minority community.
“These educational institutions are established principally for the benefit of Catholics. They seek to provide education to all the children of the Catholic community,” the DSE said.
