Observing that Non-Resident Indian Sponsored (NRIS) category reservation is an affront to meritorious candidates, the Orissa High Court has called upon the Bar Council of India and other stakeholders to revisit the process of admission to National Law Universities (NLUs).
“Worthy students toil day and night to secure a seat in NLUs by cracking Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). But NRIS students, by paying hefty donations, grab the seats of meritorious students,” the court observed.
A Division Bench of Justice Sanju Panda and Justice S.K. Panigrahi said the NRI Sponsored candidates who are very low ranked in the merit list often get seats in NLUs, whereas the general candidates having secured better marks and placed higher in the merit list are denied admission. “This is like reservation for the elite class and this dubious category of reservation is unconstitutional,” the High Court said.
‘Unregulated selection’
The court further observed that the eligibility and selection under the NRIS category are “unregulated, illegal and arbitrary”. It also cited a recent Supreme Court judgment in a case relating to private medical colleges in Rajasthan in which it held that private institutions that offer professional and technical courses have complete discretion to do away with their quota of seats after giving reasonable prior notice.
“The consortium of NLUs, the BCI and all stakeholders involved in the process (of admission) should revisit the so-called NRIS quota and prepare a proper regulation and system. Several studies reveal that the selection process under the NRIS is quite vague, undefined and based on inconsistent parameters,” the High Court said while disposing of a petition.
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