BANGALORE: Anti-reservation protesters under the banner of Youth for Equality have welcomed the Supreme Court's notice to the Centre questioning the basis on which it decided to provide for reservation in institutions of higher education.

Subodh Kumar, member of Youth For Equality, in Karnataka, said the Supreme Court notice was the "first positive result" of the students' agitation. "We are enthused with the observation made by the Supreme Court," he said.

Members of Youth for Equality, Karnataka, said they would participate in the forum's national committee meeting in Delhi next month. Representatives from 15 medical colleges in the State came together under the umbrella of Youth for Equality to protest against reservation in higher education.

Undergraduate students and junior doctors from medical colleges have been staging protests and boycotting classes often since the anti-reservation movement started a month ago.

On Monday, representatives of different colleges came together to present a unified front against reservation. Youth for Equality presented a charter of demands at a press conference here. The forum has demanded that the Government roll back the proposal to implement 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes immediately, set up a non-political review committee to come up with a White Paper on the effects of reservation and fix a time frame to reduce reservation in educational institutes till it is totally done away with.

Hospitals function

Work in hospitals in Bangalore remained unaffected as undergraduate students and house surgeons withdrew their threat to boycott work.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu