Students of Karnataka may soon get 50% reservation in Bengaluru’s premier legal education institution National Law School of India University (NLSIU). The State Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill which ushers in quota for resident students of the State for the first time.
Piloting the Karnataka Law School of India (Amendment) Bill 2017, Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayaraddi pointed out that the State had not hitherto sought any reservation for its students in NLSIU though it had provided land and other infrastructure.
He said other States already had reservation, including Telangana (20%), Madhya Pradesh (25%), West Bengal (7.5%), Rajasthan (40%), Gujarat (25%), Uttar Pradesh (50%), and Tamil Nadu (50%). Now, out of 80 students, only 2 in NLSIU are from Karnataka.
A student or his parents residing in the State for a period of not less than 10 years preceding the qualifying examination will be considered as resident student of Karnataka. It also creates provision for a student, who has studied in any of the recognised educational institutions in the State for a period of not less than seven years.
Earlier, the Bill had sought a reservation of 30%. However, following the demand by the BJP, the quantum of reservation was increased to 50%.