Punjab Government has decided to extend reservation for sportspersons and children or grandchildren of the Sikh riot victims to its quota in private medical colleges for the undergraduate MBBS courses.

“These micro reservations already exist in Government Medical Colleges, and the government, as per its amended notification of July 11, 2019, has extended the same now to the Government quota of 50 percent to private colleges also,” submitted the state Advocate-General Atul Nandu before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday.

Appearing on behalf of the state earlier, the AG submitted that through its revised notification of July 11, it had amended its previous notification dated June 6, 2019.

Nanda later scotched rumours in a section of the media that it had taken a stand in the court against similar reservation in private colleges for wards of army personnel who had died in action. The issue of such reservation never arose in the Court and there was no question, hence, of the State Government taking any such stand, he categorically stated.

Earlier, the Court asked the state as to whether such micro reservation could also be applied by the Court to the balance 50 percent management quota in such private colleges.

The Court was informed that although this issue was beyond the scope of the present petition, the State would not adopt an adversarial approach when it came to any welfare measure. The same could be discussed and decided after the court had the opportunity to peruse the various Constitution Bench judgments in this regard, especially that of PA Inamdar, said the AG.

The case has been adjourned for Friday, July 19. Meanwhile, Capt has made it clear that his Government was keen to provide any welfare measure, as needed, in the interest of the state.