Bangalore: Following the Supreme Court (SC) verdict to implement quota reservations for "socially and educationally backward classes" in centrally-run institutions of higher education, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, has decided to reserve 9% of its seats for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) students in its forthcoming academic session.

According to the institute director, Mr. P. Balaram, the recent move will be valid only to the students of M.Tech. and M.E. courses.

"The quota will be divided equally over a period of three years, with nine percent reserved each year. We will also expand the seat capacity for these programmes by upto 54 percent", Balaram said.

Out of the total of 2200 students at IISc, 580 students are enrolled for the M.Tech and M.E. programmes. The institute will add another 54 percent seats for these programmes in the coming sessions.

According to Mr. Balaram, an initial grant of Rs.130 crore has already been allotted to the institute in the 11^th Plan for implementing the quota reservations.

"We are now in the process of building new hospitals to supplement the existing ones and replace the older hostel blocks that have been demolished", he added.

The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 provides for reservations in admission for students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, in Government-aided institutions of higher education.

The reservation law has met with stiff resistance from students across the country, who fear that meritorious candidates would lose their chance to enter prestigious institutions of higher education if the law is implemented.