The Supreme Court has come down heavily on the expansion of the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota in Punjab’s medical colleges saying the quota should be reserved only for genuine NRIs providing them an opportunity to study in India. The quota, which is currently being misused by including distant relatives of NRIs on the pretext of expansion, should be stopped, said a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud. This “fraud” of accommodating relatives of NRIs under the quota and terming them as eligible to avail of the privilege, is a “money-spinning tactic” that sidelines merit. Candidates who rightfully deserve to study medicine based on their merit are forced out of the admission process because of this flawed system.
“We must stop this NRI quota business now! This is complete fraud, and this is what we are doing to our education system,” said the bench, which also included Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. “Let us put a lid on this. This fraud has to come to an end. This NRI business is nothing but a fraud. This comes to an end now. What is ‘ward’? You just have to say ‘I am looking after X’. See the students who got three times high scores have lost out. We cannot lend our authority to something which is blatantly illegal,” the bench sternly remarked.
The Supreme Court’s comments come against the backdrop of a Punjab government notification issued on August 20 this year that redefines ‘NRI candidates’ to also mean uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins, eligible for admission under the quota. – editor@nrifocus.com
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