The Central government on Thursday informed the Madras High Court that it has rejected a resolution passed by the Puducherry Cabinet, allowing 10 per cent horizontal reservation to government school students in admission to medical courses. The issue pertains to a section of students moving the court seeking approval of the scheme after the previous Lt Governor of the Union Territory, Kiran Bedi, had differed from the views of the then Congress government. Bedi had referred the matter to the Centre.

The Narayanasamy-led government had introduced the resolution after Tamil Nadu brought in a similar 7.5 per cent reservation for government school students. During the hearing before a single-member bench of Justice B Pugalendhi, the Central government informed that it has rejected the resolution after examining it in consultation with the Union Ministries for Health and Education.

The Puducherry government was also informed accordingly by a letter dated March 24, it added. Opposing the same, the petitioner's senior counsel, P Wilson, told the judge that the Centre's stand would sound a death knell to a similar scheme introduced by the TN government. The power to grant in-service reservation was permitted for a State in the interest of the welfare of students, and the Centre cannot term is illegal, he added. The plea was adjourned to the first week of April for further submissions.