Date:04/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/04/stories/2008060455331000.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

High Court reserves verdict on quota issue

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday reserved verdict on the contentious issue of students from other States seeking the benefits of reservation for professional course in Karnataka.

The petitioners, all students from other States, said they had sought admission in engineering courses in different colleges in Karnataka.

They said that at the time of joining the course, they had submitted caste certificates issued from the States in which they are domiciled. These certificates, they said, testified that they belonged to Scheduled Caste (SC).

The Visvesvaraiah Technological University (VTU), they said, had rejected their admissions, saying that though they have obtained caste certificates, the benefits of reservation could not be given to them in Karnataka.

The university contended that in Karnataka and other States, only students from that State could avail themselves of the benefit of reservation.

Moreover, the caste or class to which the students belonged to must also be included in Karnataka under the reservation list.

The students had filed a writ petition, challenging the VTU action.

Justice B.S. Patil reserved orders on the students’ petition.