India's quota system sparks row

The Indian Supreme Court is to review its suspension of a higher education admissions quota for poor students in the wake of a row between the Government and universities.

The court had ruled that India's centrally funded higher education institutions, including the elite Indian Institutes of Management, did not have to implement the Government's quota system in 2007-08.

The quota would mean that places at the universities would go to students from poor backgrounds.

The management institutes had decided to put on hold admissions to their 2007 postgraduate courses until the quota issue had been resolved.

However, the Indian Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs is meeting to decide whether the institutes could begin their selection of students who do not fall within the quota remit before the court rules.