The government will appeal against the supreme court Division Bench order striking down the 80:20 ratio within the allotment of minority scholarships, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
Replying to questions within the Assembly, the Chief Minister said the matter pertained to the powers of the government . the govt has decided to appeal against the supreme court decision on the idea of legal advice obtained during this regard, he said.
‘Needless controversy’
Mr. Vijayan added that some people were trying to stoke a needless controversy over the difficulty . The people should get on guard against such attempts, he said, adding that each one eligible students would still get the scholarships.
In May, the supreme court had ruled that the State government’s action of sub-classifying minorities and providing the scholarship at an 80:20 ratio was legally unsustainable. the govt was also directed to issue orders guaranteeing the scholarships to members of notified minority communities on an equal basis.
Deputy Leader of Opposition P.K. Kunhalikutty said within the Assembly that this dispute was born out of the introduction of the 80:20 ratio within the recommendations concerning the backwardness of one community. This was an error of the Paloli Mohammed Kutty Committee, he said.
‘Not a dispute’
Mr. Kunhalikutty urged the govt to require a policy decision for ensuring that the recommendations meant for a specific community are implemented for that community alone.
M.K. Muneer of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) told the govt that care should be taken to make sure that the minority scholarship issue isn’t portrayed as a dispute between two communities.