Fate of 80,000 minority seats to be decided after 4th list

MUMBAI: The fate of the 80,000 seats in minority colleges that are lying vacant will be decided after the fourth general merit list is out on August 2. The state education department officials have to comply with the Nagpur high court’s direction to the department to give back reserved minority seats to the colleges.

During the centralised admission process (CAP) till last year, before every general merit list, the minority colleges would surrender their vacant seats to the department for the general category students.

This year however, the court has asked the department not to take seats and let colleges manage their admission process by themselves. Hence, last week, it gave back all the seats.

A college principal on condition of anonymity said, “There are only a certain percentage of students who come for minority seats. After that, we transfer it to the general and that way it creates a balance. Now, there are only 20 seats in arts and five in commerce but around 280 seats in minority and we don’t know what is to be done with those seats.”