By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Students belonging to the minorities’ communities in Gujarat can breathe a sigh of relief. On Monday, the Apex Court refused to stay the Gujarat high court’s order that had directed the state government of Narednra Modi to implement the centre’s pre-matriculation scholarships scheme to the students of five minorities’ communities.
The Gujarat government has not yet implemented this central government scheme of pre-matriculation scholarships particularly for the students of the minorities’ communities on the ground that it violates the secular values enshrined in India’s Constitution.
A five judge bench of the Gujarat HC had earlier directed the state government to implement this scheme considering it a valid welfare scheme for the minorities’ communities which are lagging behind on several parameters.
Only students belonging to the five minorities’ communities – Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Parsi and Buddhist – and whose family income is below Rs 1 lakh can apply for this scholarship. According to the state government estimate, around one 6 lakh students from these five communities could have benefited from of this welfare scheme. A student generally would get Rs 850 per annum.
However, rather than implementing this scheme the state government appealed to the Supreme Court against the Gujarat High Court order. A bench of Justice P Satashivam and Justice M Y Eqbal has now upheld the HC order.
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