Date:09/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/09/stories/2006050920870300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Panel writes to colleges on filling seats

Staff Reporter

Private professional colleges given option of filling all or some seats through CET Cell

BANGALORE: The Venkataraman Committee overseeing professional college admissions has offered the option to professional college principals to fill all or some of the seats in their institutions through the State Government's Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell.

In a letter, the Committee said: "The seats which you offer to the State CET Cell will be filled on the basis of merit and the reservation policy of the State Government."

The remaining seats in the educational institution, the Committee said, would have to be filled on the basis of the entrance test to be conducted by the Association of Professional Colleges, followed by centralised counselling.

Fifty per cent of these seats in non-minority institutions should be reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Trines and Other Backward Classes candidates (66 per cent of the seats in minority institutions should be filled by students of that community from within the State), the Venkataraman Committee said.

The Committee had asked the principals to fill an attached proforma and sent it back by May 20.

"If no information is received from you by May 20, it will be presumed that you are not willing to fill any of the seats in your institution through the State CET Cell."

The Supreme Court, in the case of P.A. Inamdar & Others Vs State of Maharashtra, had indicated that private unaided professional colleges could decide to fill all or some of the seats in their institutions through the State Comnon Entrane Test Cell.