Wed Sep 10 01:00:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the text, followed by a news article based on the provided information:

**Summary:**

The article details the history of reservation policies in Tamil Nadu aimed at providing opportunities for students from rural and government schools to access professional courses like medicine, law, and engineering. It traces the evolution of these policies from a 15% rural quota introduced in 1996 to the current 7.5% horizontal reservation for government school students who have qualified for NEET. The article highlights legal challenges, court rulings, and the justifications offered by successive governments for implementing these reservations, emphasizing the aim to address socio-economic disadvantages faced by students from underprivileged backgrounds and the upholding of the current validity of the policy.

**News Article:**

**Tamil Nadu’s Reservation Policy for Rural and Govt. School Students: A Decades-Long Legal and Political Saga**

**CHENNAI -** For over two decades, the state of Tamil Nadu has been locked in a complex political and legal battle over reservation policies aimed at leveling the playing field for students from rural and government schools seeking admission to professional courses. The debate, dating back to 1996, has seen policies introduced, challenged, struck down, and ultimately reinstated, reflecting the state’s commitment to addressing socio-economic disparities.

The initial push came in 1996 when the then-DMK government, led by M. Karunanidhi, introduced a 15% reservation for students studying in panchayat schools in rural areas. This policy was later extended to medical and law courses. However, in 2001, the AIADMK government under J. Jayalalithaa increased the quota to 25%, leading to legal challenges. In 2002, the Madras High Court struck down the quota, deeming it unconstitutional and lacking a clear connection to the intended objective.

The state government appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the reservation was necessary to protect underprivileged students from rural areas, but the Supreme Court declined to intervene. The issue lay dormant until 2020, when the AIADMK government, led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, enacted a 7.5% horizontal reservation for government school students who qualified for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). This was based on a commission’s findings that government school students faced significant disadvantages due to socio-economic factors.

When the DMK regained power in 2021 under M.K. Stalin, the government extended the 7.5% reservation policy to other professional courses like engineering, agriculture, veterinary, and fisheries, and the Madras High Court in 2022 upheld the constitutional validity of the law and found it provided a preferential source of admission for socially and educationally deprived students, while maintaining the current caste-based quotas.

The current reservation policy in Tamil Nadu means that public school students will have minimum representation within the vertical quotas meant for BC, MBC, SC and ST students, besides the OC as well.
The article will be updated with current case details in the supreme court.

This history highlights the ongoing struggle to balance the constitutional principles of equality with the need to address historical disadvantages and ensure equitable access to higher education for all segments of Tamil Nadu’s population.

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