New Delhi

Court dismisses Scheduled Caste student’s plea

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea by a Scheduled Caste girl that students belonging to States other than Delhi should not be allowed to avail themselves of reservation in admissions at Delhi University.

Dismissing the plea, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat said: “In the case of Central Government institutions like Delhi University and All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, however, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, fitting the descriptions, from any part of the country, will be entitled to such reservation benefits provided they fulfil the criteria in relation to the State concerned.”

Mr. Justice Bhat justified his verdict on the ground that these institutions were funded and controlled by the Union Government.

The Court, however, allowed the petitioner, Kavita Khorwal, to continue her LLB course at the University. The Court had in an interim order asked the University to consider the petitioner eligible for admission to the course.

In her petition, Ms. Khorwal argued that she could not get admission to the course because the University had extended the benefits of reservation to “ineligible SC candidates belonging to States or Union Territories other than Delhi”.

She had been ranked 118th in the list of successful candidates in the entrance examination conducted in 2004 for the purpose of admissions to the LLB course.

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