By Zishan Amiri
Srinagar, Mar 26: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) on Monday reserved the judgment in the case of over 600 students not receiving benefits under a centre-sponsored scholarship scheme.
In 2011, under Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS), 5,000 students from the state were given scholarships annually for studying in educational institutes outside J&K.
Initially, permanent residents of JK having qualified 10+2 were eligible for the scholarship benefits.
However, the criteria were revised in 2013-2014.
Subsequently, an aspirant was required to have scored 65 per cent in 10+2, choose only a college allotted by the Government of India’s (GoI) All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), and also attend a counselling programme.
As many as 657 students, as per Advocate Zaffar Ahmad Shah, the students’ counsel, were denied the scholarship after the new criteria were introduced in 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.
In June 2017, a single bench hearting the petition passed a judgment in favour of the student.
However, the AICTE challenged the judgment before the double bench, which, comprising Justice MK Hanjura and Justice Alok Aradhe, reserved the judgment after hearing out both the advocates.
The counsel representing AICTE believed that the single bench “has not made any observation” in the decision taken under various Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMT) meetings, “which was taken for the betterment of the scheme”.
The advocate argued that the petitioner took admission on their own in Mewar University in 2014-2015, without “participating in the counselling process” initiated by IMT.
Advocate Zaffar Shah argued that the criterion was revised “after the change in government in 2014”.
