Kerala colleges146; plea for autonomy in selection

Private medical colleges in Kerala, today, took to the Supreme Court their grievance against a state law which mandated them to set aside 50 per cent seats for students qualifying through the common entrance test conducted by the state.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Y K Sabharwal fixed Friday to hear the petition filed by the Kerala Private Medical College Management Association. The petition challenged the constitutional validity of the Kerala Professional Colleges Prohibition of Capitation Fees, Regulation of Admissions, Fixation of Non-exploitative Fees and other Measure to ensure Equity and Excellence in Professional Education Act, 2006, enacted by the LDF Government and assented to by the Governor.

It contended that the Act infringed upon their autonomy and was against the the Supreme Court ruling in the T M A Pai case and Inamdar case, according to which the state had no right to fix quotas in private unaided colleges.

Meanwhile, the Court also fixed the same day to hear a similar petition filed by a Muslim educational trust of Andhra Pradesh against a government notification prescribing filling up of 80 per cent seats in some professional courses in unaided colleges by the government.