Supreme Court dismisses Mizoram Government’s SLP in STEE Case

15 July 2019

PRESS RELEASE

Supreme Court dismisses Mizoram’s SLP, Mizoram must not commit contempt of court

New Delhi: The All India Chakma Students’ Union (AICSU) has welcomed the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the Special Leave Petition filed by the Government of Mizoram against the judgment of the Guahati High Court in PIL No. 49/2016 (popularly known as “STEE Case”) in the Mizoram Chakma Students Union Vs State of Mizoram.

Today, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice S A Bobde observed that the judgment of the Guahati High Court dated 22.2.2019 in PIL No. 49/2016 was such a well-reasoned judgment that it required no interference and dismissed the SLP(C) No. 014537/2019 filed by the Mizoram Government.

Vide its judgement dated 22.2.2019, the Gauhati High Court quashed the Mizoram (Selection of Candidates for Higher Technical Courses) Rules, 2016 notified in the gazette on 22.04.2016 which put the “Zo-ethnic people” (Mizos) under Category-I and “non-Zo ethnic people” under Category-II and further reserved 95% seats for Category I, 4% seats for Category II and 1% seats for Category-III (Children of non-permanent residents of Mizoram). The Mizoram Chakma Students’ Union (MCSU) challenged the constitutional validity of this Rule.

The Gauhati High Court held that “the impugned Rule placing children of non-Zo-ethnic people of the State of Mizoram in Category-II cannot be sustained. It is further observed that they have to be placed along with Zo-ethnic people of the State of Mizoram.”

However, on 8^th July 2019, the State Government of Mizoram stated that in the allotment of medical seats to students selected through the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) this year, Category-I would be reserved only for “Zo ethnic people” (Mizos).

“We heartily welcome the dismissal of the Special Leave Petition filed by the Mizoram Government. If the State of Mizoram violates the judgment of the Gauhati High Court in view of the Supreme Court’s latest order, it shall be considered as contempt of the court”- stated Mr Dilip Kanti Chakma, president of the All India Chakma Students Union (AICSU).