Putting the 4.5% minority sub-quota on hold till legal challenges are resolved, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) on Thursday sought to allay students' apprehensions and advised them to expand their choice of courses.

The statement came on the back of the Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment scrapping the sub-quota, putting in quandary the over 300 IIT aspirants who had been shortlisted under the provision. The urgency in the case is because counseling for students is already underway.

IIT-JEE organizing chairman Prof G B Reddy said, "The students should expand their choices to take care of both eventualities (if the HC decision is upheld or stayed by the Supreme Court).'' While law minister Salman Khurshid has categorically said that the government would approach the SC to challenge the HC order, it remains to be seen whether it will be able to get a stay. In the wake of the court order, IITs have decided to abide by the ruling, "ignoring" the quota provision till further legal developments. The statement said "the judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court will be implemented by ignoring the provision for reservation of 4.5% seats and by converting seats meant for OBC (non-creamy layer)-minority community to OBC (non-creamy layer) category".

With this, about 325 candidates who had been shortlisted under the sub-quota for counseling may have to compete with the 27% OBC non-creamy layer quota. This means that aspirants who were assured of the course of their choice will now have to keep their options open. The statement also said that "all the shortlisted candidates are advised to note that availability of 4.5% reservation for OBC (non creamy layer-minority) shall depend on the legal developments till June 13 and hence they may register the choice of courses accordingly."IIT

Counselling for admission to 15 IITs and IT-BHU and ISM-Dhanbad is currently underway and the process will go on till June 10. The web release of the first seat allotment will be made on June 14. The IITs are the first to implement the government's decision.