Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka stayed a state government circular that reserved all the seats in the State-run residential schools only for students of the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and the backward classes (BCs).
Justice B.V. Nagarathna passed the interim order on petitions filed by Vishwanatha S. Mathad and four others, who are parents of minor children aspiring to be admitted to VI standard in these schools.
The petitioners questioned the legality of the April 24, 2017 circular issued by the State government stipulating the students to be admitted to Morarji Desai, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other such residential schools must belong to either SC, ST or BC, and no other student could be admitted there.
While 75 per cent of the seats are reserved for SC students, 10% seats are reserved for STs, and 15 per cent for BC students.
The court also stayed the entrance exam scheduled for February 18 for selection of students for some residential schools, and directed the State authorities to consider the applications of students who do not belong to the above three categories.
