The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea against the Tamil Nadu government's decision to fix 60 per cent cut off marks in the state Teacher Eligibility Test conducted this year.
"We find it difficult to accede to the request of the counsel. The question as to whether the cut off marks stipulated for the reserved category candidates have to be reduced or not, is entirely a matter for the State Government to decide," a bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and A K Sikri said.
"The court exercising writ jurisdiction cannot grant such relaxation/concessional marks, as the same is the decision to be taken by the State Government," it said.
A Marx, a professor, had said that fixing 60 per cent as uniform qualifying marks is illegal and violative of Article 16(4) of the Constitution and state government is required to fulfill the constitutional obligation in allocating minimum qualifying marks based on communal reservation.
Rejecting the plea, the apex court said the state authorities, in their wisdom, fixed the cut off marks and the "court cannot substitute its views to that of the experts. We, in such circumstances, are not inclined to interfere with these special leave petitions and the same are dismissed".
Earlier, the Madras High Court had also refused to grant relief saying this is a policy matter.
