The Gauhati High Court issued notice on a PIL seeking direction to treat the application of the candidates belonging to the Chakma Community and other Non-Mizo scheduled tribes candidates for higher technical education seats as being applicants of category-I.
The division bench of Justice Michael Zothankhuma and Justice Nelson Sailo heard the petition at hand filed by Mizoram Chakma Students Union and others while considering the PIL issued notice to the respondents .
Shanti Bikash Chakma ,counsel for the petitioners submitted that while 93% of the seats have been reserved for the permanent residents of Mizoram under Category I i.e., only Zo ethnic tribe or the majority Mizos whereas only 1% of the seats have been reserved for “Children of other local permanent Scheduled Tribe (ST) (Non-Mizo) residents of the State of Mizoram”, who are placed under Category-II.
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Counsel for the petitioners further submitted that the impugned notification dated May 31, 2021, places additional requirement for the candidates falling under Category II and III, viz. they should have passed Classes-XI & XII from any school within Mizoram State Recognized by the Government of Mizoram, whereas no such requirement is placed for those falling under Category – I, i.e., Mizos. He therefore prayed to set aside the impugned notification.
The matter will be listed again after four weeks to enable the respondents counsel to obtain instructions.