NLSIU student’s body strongly opposes 50% Domicile Reservation

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NLSIU student’s body strongly opposes 50% Domicile Reservation
NLSIU student’s body strongly opposes 50% Domicile Reservation

NLSIU student’s body strongly opposes 50% Domicile Reservation

 

Karnataka’s assembly has passed a bill, which is yet to be given the nod by the legislative council. The bill proposes to reserve 50% of NLSIU Bangalore’s 80 undergraduate seats, 50 LLM seats and 50 masters of public policy seats for students with a strong connection to Karnataka. The NLSIU Bangalore student bar association (SBA) has released a strong statement vowing to resist the Karnataka state’s new law introducing a 50% reservation for students from Karnataka with a fear that this would significantly change the identity and strengths of the first national law school.

State reservations are often perceived as popular with states and local politicians (with the BJP apparently having pushed for this reservation to be increased to 50% from 30% from the earlier draft bill).

However, students and NLSIU alumni may be less happy and could fear that this will dilute the mostly meritocratic entrance through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). The SBA has now vowed its “opposition” to the “shocking” move, and that it would “pursue all available options” to ensure this would not be the “end of the road in this matter”.

Here mentioned is the 3 reason why SC could strike down the reservations:

  1. Bar Council of India for setting up give first Rs 5 crores from the BCI Trust which is not just of Karnataka but of entire nation’s lawyers.
  2. Supreme Court is involved in set up of NLSIU as CJI is its ex-officio Chancellor and not Chief Justice of High Court like other NLUs.
  3. Karnataka Government has not funded NLSIU fully. Funds have also come from other sources for NLSIU.

Mathew Nevin Thomas and Osho Chhel President and Vice-President, Student Bar Association on behalf of the NLSIU student body has issued a letter opposing the 50% domicile reservations. Here is a brief of that letter:

  • The introduction 50% domicile reservations will definitely strike a blow to the countless number of meritorious aspirants who wish to be a part of the university.
  • Such immense cultural and regional diversity has contributed to enhancing our learning experience manifold, and also led to many different parts of the country gaining from having well-trained lawyers and academics. Efforts to dilute that diversity strike at the core of the ethos of our University.
  • Many students from Karnataka have themselves studied at the University and have been Rhodes Scholars and Student Body Presidents, and they have achieved great heights in their lives. Karnataka residents continue to do well at our University year after year.
  • NLSIU must and will remain an institution whose doors are open to all young minds across the country and this is an assurance we wish to give to everyone.

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