Nearly 400 Muslim candidates crack IIT-JEE, largest number ever

Helped by the 4.5 per cent minority subquota, nearly 400 Muslim aspirants have cracked the IIT-JEE this year — the largest number of Muslim boys and girls ever to have scored at what is among the world's most competitive entrance examinations.

A total 325 aspirants belonging to economically and socially backward sections of minority communities have been shortlisted for admission to the 15 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) under the subquota. The IIT Joint Admission Board is yet to analyse the profile of the qualifying students, but most of these 325 are thought to be Muslim.

These aspirants are almost assured of admission, since as many as 443 seats are kept aside for non-creamy layer OBC minority community students under the 4.5 per cent quota. Over 180 Muslim candidates have been shortlisted in the general category as well.

A tentative count shows that a total of 391 Muslim candidates have been shortlisted for counselling. The highest rank made by a Muslim candidate is said to be 159th. A total 24,112 candidates among the nearly 5.6 lakh who sat for IIT-JEE 2012 have been shortlisted.

"Of the total 9,647 seats in the 15 IITs, ISM Dhanbad and IT-BHU, 443 are earmarked for minorities under the 4.5 per cent quota. So far, 325 people from the minority communities have been shortlisted for these seats. These students from the non-creamy layer have to submit a certificate/undertaking establishing their credentials by June 1. Counseling for them will start around June 10," Prof G B Reddy, chairman of IIT-JEE 2012, said.

Of the 325 shortlisted minority candidates, 303 are boys and 22 girls. The 118 unfilled seats under the quota will be passed on to non-minority OBC candidates.

The Centre had announced a 4.5 per cent subquota within the 27 per cent OBC quota in government jobs and admissions to central educational institutions just before the UP assembly elections. The human resource development ministry asked all institutions to implement the subquota from January 2012. The IITs are the first to implement the government's decision.

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