Seats in Kendriya Vidyalayas: HC sets aside order allowing pleas challenging discretionary quota

A Kerala High Court single-judge bench’s decision allowing petitions that challenged the annulment of the discretionary quota of Vidyalaya Management Committee chairpersons in admission to Kendriya Vidyalayas was set aside by a division bench of the court. Two students from Kerala had approached the single-judge bench challenging the Centre’s decision to do away with all discretionary quotas. The bench had on June 9 allowed the pleas.

After this academic year’s KV admission process commenced, the Centre had cancelled various quotas, including 10 seats under MP quota. This policy decision to do away with the practice of giving admission based on recommendations was taken after allocating seats for students from all vulnerable groups, including those orphaned by the pandemic. The cancelled discretionary quota included seats under the quota of the chairmen of Vidyalaya Management Committees.

Assistant Solicitor General of India, S Manu, who appeared for the Centre, pointed out that only influential people were benefitting from the discretionary quotas.