Court directs Central government to deposit 60 per cent share
Aurangabad, April 6:
The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the Central Government to deposit 60 per cent of the 'Post-Matric Scholarship' of Scheduled Caste students in the court within two weeks. Justice RD Dhanuka and Justice SG Meher gave the orders on Wednesday.
Assistant public prosecutor BT Sujit Karlekar, on the suggestion of the joint director, social welfare department, gave the guarantee to the bench that 40 per cent share of the State government will be deposited in two weeks. The bench clarified that orders would be issued after hearing the views of all on how to distribute the amount on record. The next hearing on the petition is scheduled for April 28, 2022.
Such is the post-matric scholarship
Scheduled Caste students are awarded post matric scholarship after 10th standard. These include tuition fees, other fees and allowances payable to students. The Central government has 60 per cent and the State government has 40 per cent share. Out of this, the allowances due to the students were being credited to their accounts and the remaining amount was being credited to the accounts of the educational institutions.
Deposit the entire amount in the student's account
The Central government has issued guidelines for the academic year 2020-2021 to 2025-26. It has instructed to deposit the total amount of student allowance directly in the student's account with the share of Central and State Government.
On March 17, 2022, the State government announced the decision to deposit 60 per cent share in the account of the students and 40 per cent of the State government student allowance would be credited to their account and the remaining amount would be credited to the account of educational institutions.
Institutions file petitions in the bench
Instructions to deposit the entire amount in the students account have been challenged by six institute owners in Latur and Jalna districts. Petitioner was represented by Adv Pragya Talekar, Adv Santosh Jadhav and Adv Shambhuraj Deshmukh. Adv Sujit Karlekar represented the State government and adv Ajay Talhar Central government.