Eamcet: HC seeks government’s explanation

The AP High Court has issued notices to the state government and others concerned to give explanation, in a writ petition seeking review of the admission pattern to engineering colleges in the state.

Justice L Narasimha Reddy was dealing with a petition by students N Mamatha and four others and the secretary of the Telangana professional college managements’ association seeking withdrawal of the requirement for minimum qualifying marks in Eamcet.

After ordering issue of notices to the authorities concerned, the judge posted the matter for hearing on Monday.

Member-secretary to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), principal secretary to higher education and secretary to AP state council for higher education were named as respondents.

The petitioners contended that in the changed scenario, continuing with the same selection process for the academic year 2013-14 is arbitrary and illegal. Persisting with the old selection process through Eamcet without any review of the desirability would render the test irrelevant as the number of seats in existing engineering colleges is in excess of the students aspiring for admission. Prof P Dayaratnam committee had recommended removal of the minimum qualifying marks in Eamcet, they pointed out.

The petitioners urged the court to direct the authorities concerned to take a decision forthwith before conducting the Eamcet on May 10, 2013.

“A total of 3.74 lakh seats are on offer in 717 engineering colleges this year. Even after a seat is guaranteed to all the qualified students, about 33,000 seats will go vacant in the convener’s quota. There are another 1.34 lakh seats available in the management quota (30 percent seats), in which over one lakh seats are expected to go vacant. An estimated 1.5 lakh seats have remained vacant in the 2012-2013 academic year,” the petitioners contend.