Agartala: The Tripura High Court upheld the state government's decision to enforce a 60 percent academic cut-off for the Super 100 Scheme. Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Biswajit Palit rejected a petition from Amit Kanti Tripura. The court ruled the policy was neither arbitrary nor unreasonable.
Introduced in the 2025-26 financial year, the program provides coaching for JEE, NEET, and Civil Services exams. It caps support at 100 total students. The state reserves 60 slots for JEE and NEET pupils and 40 for Civil Services candidates. Applicants for engineering or medical tracks need 60 percent in Class IX science and math. Civil Services hopefuls must hold 60 percent in their graduation.
The petitioner argued the bar was unfair. He claimed students with lower grades could still succeed in competitive testing. He specifically challenged the policy after being barred from Civil Services coaching due to his own academic record. The state countered that they have limited funds. Selection relies on merit-based testing.
The Bench noted the government "probably" fixed the 60 per cent threshold because, without such a criterion, it could face a large number of applications for the limited sponsorship opportunities. Judges concluded that setting criteria for government schemes is an administrative choice. They maintained that the government can presume students with higher marks have better chances of success. The court dismissed the writ petition and closed all pending applications.
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