The Union of India has informed the Supreme Court that additional seats have been approved in central educational institutions to ensure that there is no adverse impact due to the implementation of the reservation for Economically Weaker Sections(EWS).
The Centre said that 2,14,766 additional seats have been approved in that regard.
The affidavit by the Ministry of Social Justice pointed out that on 17th January 2019, an order was issued by the Department of Higher Education to all the Central Educational Institutions to increase the intake in all the branches of studies to ensure 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections while maintaining the reservations for the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes and not impacting the seat availability for the General Category in the year 2018-19. The order was issued in order to ensure that the seats available to the reserved category and the open category are not impacted in absolute numbers.
The affidavit has further stated that, "as per the calculations done in this regard, in order to provide 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections, without adversely impacting the proportionate reservations to the SC/ST and OBC categories and not reducing the seat availability for the general category in absolute numbers as compared to admissions made in 2018-19, the total increase in intake has to be increased by approximately 25% (over and above the intake in 2018-19)."
The affidavit by the Union of India also apprised the court that an expenditure of Rs. 4,315.15 Cr was approved to be incurred to improve the infrastructure in the higher educational institutions.
The 5 judge bench comprising of
Chief Justice U. U. Lalit, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice J. B. Pardiwala yesterday
concluded the hearings in the matter regarding the Economically Weaker Sections and has reserved its judgment.
