Consider extending 7.5% MBBS seat quota to aided school students, Madras high court tells government

Chennai: The Madras high court has asked the Tamil Nadu government to consider extending the 7.5% MBBS seat quota for government school students to aided schools too.

"However, it is purely a policy decision to be taken by the state government. Therefore, this court's observation can only be taken as a further aid to re-visit the issue," Justice R Suresh Kumar said.

"Majority of the students [in aided schools] are from non-affluent families and the entire aid is paid by the government. …There are many similarities between the students of government schools and aided schools," the judge added.

Therefore, the benefit of 7.5% reservation can be extended to these kind of students of aided schools, the judge asserted.

The court made the observations while dismissing a plea moved by S Varsha, student of an aided school for a seat under the 7.5% quota.