The AP High Court’s verdict on Monday rejecting the Centre’s move to create a 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities within the 27 per cent OBC quota, came as a jolt to nearly 400 Muslim students across the country who have cracked IIT-JEE this year.

These students were almost assured admissions into IITs since as many as 443 seats were kept aside for the “noncreamy” layer of the OBC minority community students under the 4.5 per
cent quota. Over 180 Muslim candidates had been shortlisted in the general category as well.

The Indian Institute of Technologies were the first institutions to implement the 4.5 per cent quota for Muslim students from this year and had even released a separate merit list for minority students in the recent IIT-JEE results.

Incidentally, AP student Md. H. Rehman had bagged the national first rank in the minority category in IIT-JEE this year.
With the AP High Court rejecting the Centre’s move to create a 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities within the 27 per cent OBC quota, state government officials said on Monday that the Centre would either have to file a review petition in the High Court or approach the Supreme Court over the issue.

AP Backward Classes Welfare Association president R. Krishnaiah, who filed a petition in the High Court challenging the subquota, welcomed the verdict and said that it was a “slap on the Centre’s face”.

He said that the BCs had no objection if the government gave reservations for minority students by increasing the OBC quota by 4.5 per cent. However, they would not accept if a sub-quota was created within the 27 per cent OBC quota.

Of the total 9,647 seats in 15 IITs, ISM Dhanbad and IT-BHU, 443 were earmarked for minorities under the 4.5 per cent quota. A total of 391 Muslim candidates have been shortlisted for counselling. The highest rank of a Muslim candidate is said to be 159th.

As per the admissions schedule issued by IITs earlier, these students from the non-creamy layer have to submit a certificate/undertaking establishing their credentials by June 1. Counselling for them is to start from June 10. However, with the High Court orders, the IITs will be forced to stop counselling for these students.

A total 24,112 candidates among the nearly 5.6 lakh who sat for IIT-JEE 2012 have been shortlisted. Of them, 391 candidates are said to be Muslim.

“Though this issue pertains to the Centre, I will submit a representation to the Centre urging it to file a review petition in the High Court or approach the Supreme Court and protect the interests of minority students,” said minority welfare minister Ahamadullah.