Overview

• On September 5, Congress leaders called for introducing a central statute in the upcoming Winter session to implement Article 15(5) in private colleges and universities.
• They cited the August 20 Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education report, which urged the government to pass an implementing law.
• The committee reported enrolment of 0.89% for SC students, 0.53% for ST students, and 11.16% for OBC students in private institutions.
• It also noted 517 private universities lack reservation provisions and that 78.5% of degree colleges are private without reservations.
• Although courts have upheld the constitutional validity of Article 15(5), private institutions are not bound without an enabling statute, and Congress pointed to its 2024 manifesto promise to legislate.