Supreme Court rejects Punjab’s plea on NRI quota, calls move ‘complete fraud’

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped the Punjab government over its notification amending the conditions for admissions under the NRI quota, calling it “just a money-spinning device by the state”.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra dismissed the AAP government’s petition against the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s verdict which quashed its notification amending conditions for admissions under NRI quota for MBBS courses in the state’s medical colleges.
The Punjab government, in its August 20 notification, extended the ambit of the NRI quota to include distant relatives “such as uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins” for admissions under the 15 per cent quota in medical colleges.
After hearing the Punjab government’s arguments in the case, Chief Justice Chandrachud said, “We must stop this NRI quota business now. There is complete fraud. This is what we are doing to our education system.”
The NRIs, also party to the case, said through their counsel that they would lose a year now on the basis of the promise meted out by the state government.
“Let us put a lid on this. This fraud must come to an end. These are all interim orders…. This NRI business is nothing but a fraud. And look at what the state has done,” the Chief Justice said.
Terming the High Court verdict “absolutely right”, the bench said, “Look at the deleterious consequences… the candidates who have three times higher marks will lose admission (in NEET-UG courses).”
Earlier on September 10, the High Court quashed the Punjab government’s NRI quota move. The government then reached the Supreme Court, which also upheld the High Court order.