Mumbai: The Bombay High Court asked the Maharashtra government to include names of candidates from hilly areas of the state in the special reservation category for Medical Common Entrance Test (CET) 2015 though they did not opt for it in admission forms.

The order was passed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Anil Menon who said that such applicants from hilly areas are socially and economically backward due to which they should be motivated to join the mainstream through such reservations.

The bench said that the applicants may not be aware of such benefits and hence might not have indicated in admission forms about their readiness to claim reservations. They should not be deprived merely because they had not mentioned this in admission forms filled by them in March this year, the judges said.

The High Court had converted a letter written by social worker Priyadarshan Tupe to the Chief Justice urging the HC to consider such applicants for special reservation since they are not aware that such facilities existed. These applicants had appeared for CET examination on May 7 this year.

According to government pleader Asif Patel, they were not given benefits of special reservation since applicants for the medical course had not indicated their choice in admission forms. He cited three judgements to show that HC had refused such claims of candidates earlier on the ground that procedures had not been followed by them. However, the bench was of the view that the purpose of reservation would be defeated if such candidates were denied its benefits.