Ending the suspense, political parties on Thursday gave the go-ahead to the government to allow IIMs, IITs and other Central educational institutions to proceed with admissions for general, SC and ST categories for the coming academic session without the OBC quota for the moment.

A meeting of ruling UPA constituents and Left allies backed HRD Ministry's proposal to fill the seats as per last year's norms and leave out the enhanced seats to accommodate the 27 per cent OBC quota till the Supreme Court decides the matter.

Under the Centre's formula, 1,24,377 general and SC and ST candidates would be offered admission while 12,216 seats under the expansion programme to accommodate the quota would be filled after the apex court's decision.

HRD Minister Arjun Singh briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after his meeting with leaders of UPA and Left allies to evolve a consensus on the issue.

While giving their nod, political parties, particularly the Left, asked the government to ensure that there was a "fallback" option in case the stay on the 27 per cent quota for OBCs in elite educational institutions was not vacated by the Apex Court.

Emerging from the meeting, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters that though the government was confident of getting the court to vacate the stay, his party suggested that the government keep a fallback option.

Asked to elaborate on this option, he said it could be another legislation and another amendment to the Constitution.

CPI leader D Raja said the Parliament should intervene effectively if the apex court did not vacate the stay as benefits to the deprived sections were already overdue.

Today's consultations that the HRD minister had with UPA and Left allies were in continuation of talks the prime minister had on Wednesday at the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.

In a note circulated at the meeting, the government said one of the reasons for withholding admissions for all categories of students was to ensure that the Centre's case before the Supreme Court for an early hearing was not adversely affected. This "has now been met" in view of the apex court's most recent order.

"One view, therefore, is that no further purpose would be served by withholding admissions for at least those categories of students who are not affected by the interim order of stay" of the court, the note said.

Central educational institutions could be advised to offer admissions in the first instance for the ensuing academic session only in respect of those categories of students who are not affected by the court's order, it said.

However, it said, the number of admissions shall be limited to the "approved intake" that existed during the academic year 2006-07 so that the benefit of expansion of seats, after the vacation of stay, could go entirely to the OBCs and to meet the proportionate increase of seats for SCs and STs.

Additonal inputs: PTI

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