HC to hear plea over UG-NEET seat breakdown in Karnataka today

A petition will be heard in the Karnataka High Court (HC) on Tuesday complaining about the purported lack of consideration for aspirants from the state in the way the Under-Graduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG-NEET) is conducted locally. UG-NEET is a countrywide exam to determine entry for students in medical and dental courses. The petitioner Zainab Fatima’s contention is that the breakdown of seats in the state leaves very little to Karnataka domicile students. She added that the current formula sets aside too many opportunities for aspirants from outside the state and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

Zainab said that neighbouring Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (AP) had a better formula to protect the interests of the local students. She has demanded that Karnataka formulate a similar breakdown and set aside more seats for students from Karnataka. Advocate Tahir, who represents Zainab pointed out that nearly 50 per cent of the seats are reserved for marginalised categories like Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), adding that the remaining seats are up for grabs for General Merit (GM) students. He said that in Karnataka, of the 50 per cent GM category, half the seats were set aside for students of the state and the remaining were earmarked for non-Karnataka students. Moreover, 15 per cent of all seats were set aside for NRI aspirants.

‘State sets aside too much for outsiders’ In Karnataka, of the remaining 35 per cent (management) seats, half were earmarked for students from the state while the remaining could be claimed by non-state aspirants, Tahir said. In contrast, Telangana and AP also followed nearly 50 per cent reservation for SC, ST and OBC students and retained the 15 per cent NRI reservation but made better use of the remaining 35 per cent, the advocate said. Tahir pointed out the twin Telugustates set aside 85 per cent of the management seats (35 per cent in all) for students from their own state, leaving only 15 per cent for non-state aspirants. This formula was better, the advocate argued.

“There is another catch, in that 15 per cent as well, local students can apply. However, in Karnataka, they’ve made the open category exclusive to nonstate students,” Tahir said. In states like Maharashtra, non-state students are not considered in the first round and can only claim seats in the second and third rounds. “Every state is making an effort to protect the interests of their own students,'' Tahil said. Karnataka is giving a preference to students of other states,” the advocate said.