The lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has directed the Union of India(UOI) and the appropriate authority to take appropriate decision on the representation moved by the UP Private Colleges Association with in four weeks, in the matter of restricting the grant of scholarship to only 40% SC /ST students by the state government amending the concerned scheme in 2016. The central government had launched this scholarship scheme in 2010.
This order was passed by Justice Mahendra Dayal on a writ petition filed by UP Private Colleges Association, seeking directions to the central government to restrain the state government from interfering and changing the scheme of Post Matric Scholarship for the students belonging to the Scheduled Castes category in any manner and to implement the same in its letter and sprit.
It was submitted on behalf of the petitioner association that the purpose of launching of the aforsaid scheme was to provide scholarship to the SC / ST students to take admission in the colleges. It was claimed that the state government without any authority made an amendment to the said scheme in 2016 and risericted the grant of scholarship to only 40 % SC / ST students. This, according to the petitioner counsel, can not be done by the state government.
The counsel for the two respondents opposing the petition contended that the institutions of petitioner's association, were allegdly involved in huge scam by which they were taking admissions of only SC / ST students and after taking scholarship, the students allegedly shown admitted in the institute were removed. He also informed that the reports had been lodged against certain institutions and the investigation is on. It was the aforsaid reason that the UP government had amended the scheme and restricted the scholarship to only 40 % SC / ST students, the respondents counsel said. However, these allegations were denied by the petitioner's counsel.
Keeping in view the aforsaid facts , the writ petition is disposed of finally with the direction that the UOI and the appropriate authority shall take appropriate decision on the representation moved by the petitioner, with in four weeks, the court said. The decision shall be taken after giving opportunity to hearing to the concerned parties and in accordance with law, it added.