Updated on: Wednesday, September 26, 2012
The Supreme Court asked the Tamil Nadu government to create additional seats in various educational institutions to ensure that meritorious students of general category do not suffer due to 69 per cent quota for those of scheduled castes and tribes and the backward classes.
A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Mishra asked the government to take steps to increase seats in educational institutions as students with 99 per cent marks are not getting admission in medical and engineering colleges.
It had earlier on September 10 sought a response from the state government on a petition challenging the law providing 69 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
The court passed the order on a petition filed by some students contending that reservation exceeding 50 per cent in educational institutions and government jobs was in contravention to the mandate of the apex court judgement.
The legislation in challenge was the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in educational institutions and of appointment or posts in the services under the state) Act, 1993, which provided 69 per cent reservations.