Shillong: The High Court of Meghalaya tossed out a public interest litigation filed by North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum on Tuesday. The suit challenged the state government’s use of its 1972 Job Reservation Policy to manage seat allocations in medical, engineering, and veterinary schools. The case hit a wall immediately.
Advocate General Amit Kumar told the court the filing failed to meet mandatory legal requirements. Nongrum’s counsel asked to drop the case. The court granted the request, allowing the MLA to file a new petition later or bring the matter to state officials directly.
Nongrum previously argued that the state lacks a specific policy for academic admissions. He claimed officials illegally copied the employment quotas for students. His petition stated that "reservation is an exception to the constitutional principle of equality and cannot be implemented without proper legal backing," and challenged the current practice as unconstitutional.
The policy currently acts as a pillar of affirmative action in the region. It exists to protect government jobs for indigenous communities. The court did not rule on the merits of the policy before the withdrawal.
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