सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने पंजाब सरकार की अपील को किया खारिज कहा धोखाधड़ी अब खत्म होनी चाहिए

Supreme Court dismisses Punjab government's appeal, says fraud must end now

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Punjab government's appeal challenging the High Court's decision to quash its decision to expand the definition of 'NRI quota' for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses in the state. "This fraud must end now," the Supreme Court said. On September 10, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had struck down the AAP-led government's August 20 move to include distant relatives of NRIs "like uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins" under the 15 per cent quota for this group for admission to medical colleges in the state. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra said, this is nothing but a money-making machine. The bench said, "We will dismiss all the petitions. This NRI business is nothing but a fraud. We will put an end to all this. Now the law has to be given priority over so-called precedents. Terming the high court's verdict as "absolutely correct", the court said, "Look at its fatal consequences. Candidates who have three times more marks will lose admission." The apex court said that distant relatives of 'mama, tai, taya' settled abroad will get admission before meritorious candidates and this cannot be allowed. "This is a complete fraud. And this is what we are doing with our education system. We will uphold the high court's verdict. We must now stop the NRI quota business. The judges know what they are dealing with. The high court has dealt with this matter minutely," the Chief Justice said. "Let's put a stop to this. All you have to do is say I am taking care of X...we cannot give our authority to something which is clearly illegal," the bench said while dismissing the state government's plea. Senior advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing for the Punjab government, said other states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh have also followed a broad interpretation of the term 'NRI quota'.

The expansion of the definition of 'NRI' through the state government's corrigendum is "unwarranted for several reasons", the high court said. Initially, the 'NRI quota' was intended to benefit genuine NRIs and their children, giving them access to educational opportunities in India. Broadening the definition to include distant relatives such as uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins ​​has weakened the main purpose of the NRI quota. This expansion has opened the door to potential abuse, allowing even persons who do not fall under the original objective of the policy to avail of these seats, potentially sidelining more deserving candidates, it said.