A graphic is doing the rounds claiming that the Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has recently scrapped reservations in private medical colleges.
What are users claiming?: People have shared the graphic with a caption that said, "Please awaken SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities: "MUSLIMS", "CHRISTIANS". This is the beginning of the Disaster (sic)."
The post had recorded over 16 thousand views on the platform. Another archive of a similar claim can be found here.
Are these claims true?: The order talking about no reservations in private medical colleges and dental colleges was originally issued by the Samajwadi Party (SP) government in 2017.
At that time, Director General Medical Education, Dr VN Tripathi, had clarified that reservations were never a part of the admissions process in private medical or dental colleges.
What led us to the truth?: A keyword search directed us to a news report that mentioned about an order being passed to end reservations in private medical and dental colleges in UP.
It said that the decision was reportedly taken by the then CM Akhilesh Yadav but is being implemented by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
The report said that the Director General Medical Education said that for the first time, private medical and dental colleges have been brought under the ambit of National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET).
“It is wrong to say that rules of reservation have been scrapped from the private medical and dental colleges. Reservation was never a part of the admission process in private sector medical and dental colleges as per the prevalent policy made in 2006. There has been no change in any policy whatsoever.”Dr VN Tripathi, Director General Medical Education
What was the order about?: Team WebQoof found an order dated 10 March 2017 on the official website of Directorate General of Medical Education and Training, UP.
The order said that admission in private medical and dental colleges will be given based on the merit list of NEET PG 2017.
It further added that no reservations will be allowed in the private sector.
It should be noted that the government was led by Yadav, when this order was issued.
The order merely reiterated the 2006 policy of not having reservations for private unaided colleges.
About the policy made in 2006: The government had enacted 'The Uttar Pradesh Admission to Educational Institutions (Reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Act'.
According to this act, reservations were provided during admissions to different institutions, including aided and unaided private educational institution.
It aimed to provide 21 percent reservation to SC, 2 percent to ST, and 27 percent to OBC.
Allahabad High Court judgment in 2011: The high court heard a petition which challenged the section 4 of the act that provided reservations.
In its judgment, the court observed that reservations for admissions in private unaided and self-finance institutions are violative of the basic structure of the Constitution of India.
Conclusion: It is clear that the Yogi government did not implement a rule scrapping reservations from private medical and dental colleges in the state.
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