Delhi High Court Issues Notice On PIL For OBC Admissions In Jamia's Residential Coaching Academy

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice on a plea seeking a direction on the University Grant Commission (UGC) to frame guidelines to enable Jamia Millia Islamia to give admissions to OBC (Non-creamy layer) students in its Residential Coaching Academy for preparation of civil services from its next session. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela sought response of the varsity, Residential Coaching Academy and UGC. The PIL has been filed by one Satyam Singh, a law graduate preparing for government jobs.Notably, the plea also sought guidelines for admissions of students belonging to the EWS category. However, after the bench noted that the UGC guidelines did not refer to EWS category, the counsel for the petitioner said that the prayers in the plea will be restricted only to OBC admissions.Singh has referred to Jamia's press release from May 2022 declaring that it provides free coaching and training to the underprivileged students with 24x7 library facility aspiring to become civil servants.The plea has contended that the underprivileged students may also include students coming from OBC (non- creamy layer) and EWS category and the same cannot be restricted to only women, SC/ST and minority community students. Furthermore, the petition states that according to an annual report of UGC, during the year 2011-12, it had released 7.5 crores to the Jamia Millia Islamia for the establishment of Residential Coaching Academy.“Hence, when a coaching institute is funded by the Respondent No. 3, it is under obligation not to discriminate among the underprivileged students and should admit the students of OBC (non-creamy layer) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) who is preparing for Civil Services examination in his Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) along with Minorities, SCs, STs and women under its free coaching program for Civil Services,” the plea said.The PIL seeks a direction on Jamia to admit the students of OBC (Non-creamy layer) category from its next batch in his Residential Coaching Academy, along with minorities, SC, ST and women students. It seeks a direction on UGC to frame appropriate and specific guidelines to prescribe minimum reservation for OBC (Non-creamy layer) students in its scheme of Residential Coaching Academy for the upcoming years.It also seeks issuance of guidelines for specific internal reservation for different categories of students in Jamia's scheme of Residential Coaching Academy.The petitioner is represented by Advocates Ayush Saxena, Akash Vajpai and Puru Mudgil.Title: Satyam Singh v. Jamia Millia Islamia & Ors.

Delhi High Court Issues Notice On PIL For OBC Admissions In Jamia's Residential Coaching Academy

Nupur Thapliyal

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