New Delhi, July 29: The Supreme Court has upheld the Madhya Pradesh government's decision to allocate 20 per cent of post-graduate seats in its medical colleges to in-service candidates but expressed anguish over the present day trend of commercialisation of education.
A bench comprising Justice R C Lahoti and Justice Ashok Bhan said in its judgement yesterday, "allocation of 20 per cent seats in post-graduation in university of Madhya Pradesh for in-service candidates is not a reservation."

"It is a separate and exclusive channel of entry or source of admission, the validity whereof cannot be determined on the constitutional principles applicable to communal reservations. Such two channels of entry or two sources of admission is valid provision," it said.

However, the bench said that there could be only one common entrance test for determining eligibility of students for post-graduation courses.
"The requirement of minimum qualifying marks cannot be lowered or relaxed contrary to Medical Council of India regulations framed in this behalf," Justice Lahoti, writing for the bench, said.

Stating that women candidates constituted a class by themselves, the court upheld the decision to relax their eligibility criteria, by reference to continuous service rendered in rural areas, for the purpose of sponsorship by the state government in specified disciplines which have utility for serving women folk in villages.
However, on the commercialisation of education, the apex court said "in recent times it has developed into a business and now it stands recognised as an industry."

Bureau Report