THE CENTRAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 
 (RESERVATION IN ADMISSION) ACT, 2006 
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ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 
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SECTIONS 

1.  Short title. 
2.  Definitions. 
3.  Reservation of seats in Central Educational Institutions. 
4.  Act not to apply in certain cases. 
5.  Mandatory increase of seats. 
6.  Reservation of seats in admissions to begin in calendar year, 2008. 
7.  Laying of notifications before Parliament. 

THE SCHEDULE. 

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THE CENTRAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 
 (RESERVATION IN ADMISSION) ACT, 2006 

ACT NO. 5 OF 2007 

[3rd January, 2007.] 

An  Act  to  provide  for  the  reservation  in  admission  of  the  students  belonging  to  the  Scheduled 
Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes of citizens, to certain Central 
Educational Institutions established, maintained or aided by the Central Government, and for 
matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. 

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Fifty-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:— 

1.  Short  title.—This  Act  may  be  called  the  Central  Educational  Institutions  (Reservation  in 

Admission) Act, 2006. 

 2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

 (a)  “academic  session”  means  the  period  in  a  calendar  year,  or  a  part  thereof,  during  which  a 

Central Educational Institution is open for teaching or instruction in any branch of study or faculty; 

(b) “annual permitted strength” means the number of seats, in a course or programme for teaching 
or instruction in each branch of study or faculty authorised by an appropriate authority for admission 
of students to a Central Educational Institution; 

(c) “appropriate authority” means the University Grants Commission, the Bar Council of India, 
the Medical Council of India, the All India Council for Technical Education or any other authority or 
body established by or under a Central Act for the determination, coordination or maintenance of the 
standards of higher education in any Central Educational Institution; 

(d) “Central Educational Institution” means— 

(i) a university established or incorporated by or under a Central Act; 

(ii) an institution of national importance set up by an Act of Parliament; 

(iii) an institution, declared as a deemed University under section 3 of the University Grants 
Commission  Act,  1956  (3  of  1956),  and  maintained  by  or  receiving  aid  from  the  Central 
Government; 

(iv)  an  institution  maintained  by  or  receiving  aid  from  the  Central  Government,  whether 
directly  or  indirectly,  and  affiliated  to  an  institution  referred  to  in  clause  (i)  or  clause  (ii),  or  a 
constituent unit of an institution referred to in clause (iii); 

(v)  an  educational  institution  set  up  by  the  Central  Government  under  the  Societies 

Registration Act, 1860(21 of 1860); 

(e) “faculty” means the faculty of a Central Educational Institution;  

(f)  “Minority  Educational  Institution”  means  an  institution  established  and  administered  by  the 
minorities under clause (1) of article 30 of the Constitution and so declared by an Act of Parliament 
or  by  the  Central  Government  or  declared  as  a Minority  Educational  Institution  under  the  National 
Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004 (2 of 2005); 

(g)“Other  Backward  Classes”  means  the  class  or  classes  of  citizens  who  are  socially  and 

educationally backward, and are so determined by the Central Government; 

(h)  “Scheduled  Castes”  means  the  Scheduled  Castes  notified  under  article  341  of  the 

Constitution; 

(i) “Scheduled Tribes” means the Scheduled Tribes notified under article 342 of the Constitution; 

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1[(ia)  “specified  north-eastern  region”  means  the  area  comprising  of  the  States  of  Arunachal 
Pradesh,  Manipur,  Meghalaya,  Mizoram,  Nagaland,  Sikkim,  Tripura  and  the  tribal  areas  of  Assam 
referred to in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution;  

(ib) “State seats”, in relation to a Central Educational Institution, means such seats, if any, out of 
the annual permitted strength in each branch of study or faculty as are earmarked to be filled from 
amongst the eligible students of the State in which such institution is situated;] 

(j) “teaching or instruction in any branch of study” means teaching or instruction in a branch of 
study  leading  to  three  principal  levels  of  qualifications  at  bachelor  (undergraduate)  masters 
(postgraduate) and doctoral levels . 

3. Reservation of seats in Central Educational Institutions.—The reservation of seats in admission 

and its extent in a Central Educational Institution shall be provided in the following manner, namely:— 

 (i) out of the annual permitted strength in each branch of study or faculty, fifteen per cent. seats 

shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes; 

(ii) out of the annual permitted strength in each branch of study or faculty, seven and one-half per 

cent. seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes;  

(iii) out of the annual permitted strength in each branch of study or faculty, twenty-seven per cent. 

seats shall be reserved for the Other Backward Classes: 
2[Provided that the State seats, if any, in a Central Educational Institution situated in the tribal areas 
referred to in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution shall be governed by such reservation policy for the 
Scheduled  Castes,  the  Scheduled  Tribes  and  the  Other  Backward  Classes,  as  may  be  specified,  by 
notification in the Official Gazette, by the Government of the State where such institution is situated: 

 Provided  further  that  if  there  are  no  State  seats  in  a  Central  Educational  Institution  and  the  seats 
reserved for the Scheduled Castes exceed the percentage specified under clause (i) or the seats reserved 
for the  Scheduled Tribes  exceed the  percentage  specified  under  clause (ii) or the  seats reserved for the 
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes taken together exceed the sum of percentages specified under 
clauses (i) and (ii), but such seats are— 

(a)less than fifty per cent. of the annual permitted strength on the date immediately preceding 
the date of commencement of this Act, the total percentage of the seats required to be reserved for 
the  Other  Backward  Classes  under  clause  (iii)  shall  be  restricted  to  the  extent  such  sum  of 
percentages  specified  under  clauses  (i)  and  (ii)  falls  short  of  fifty  percent.of  the  annual  permitted 
strength; 

(b)  more  than  fifty  per  cent.  of  the  annual  permitted  strength  on  the  date  of  immediately 
preceding the date of commencement of this Act, in that case no seats shall be reserved for the Other 
Backward  Classes  under  clause  (iii)  but  the  extent  of  the  reservation  of  seats  for  the  Scheduled 
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes shall not be reduced in respect of Central Educational Institutions in 
the specified north-eastern region.]. 

4. Act not to apply in certain cases.—The provisions of section 3 of this Act shall not apply to— 

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(b)  the  institutions  of  excellence,  research  institutions,  institutions  of  national  and  strategic 

importance specified in the Schedule to this Act: 

Provided that the Central Government may, as and when considered necessary, by notification in 

the Official Gazette, amend the Schedule; 

(c) a Minority Educational Institution as defined in this Act; 

1. Ins. by Act 31 of 2012, s.2 (w.e.f. 19-6-2012). 
2. Ins. by s.3, ibid. (w.e.f. 19-6-2012). 
3. Cl. (a) omitted by s. 4, ibid. (w.e.f. 19-6-2012). 

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(d)  a  course  or  programme  at  high  levels  of  specialisation,  including  at  the  post-doctoral  level, 
within any branch of study or faculty, which the Central Government may, in consultation with the 
appropriate authority, specify. 

5. Mandatory increase of seats.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (iii) of section 3 
and in any other law for the time being in force, every Central Educational Institution shall, with the prior 
approval of the appropriate authority, increase the number of seats in a branch of study or faculty over 
and  above  its  annual  permitted  strength  so  that  the  number  of  seats,  excluding  those  reserved  for  the 
persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes, is not 
less  than  the  1[number  of  such  seats  available  or  actually  filled,  whichever  be  less,]  for  the  academic 
session immediately preceding the date of the coming into force of this Act.  

(2)  Where,  on  a  representation  by  any  Central  Educational  Institution,  the  Central  Government,  in 
consultation with the appropriate authority, is satisfied that for reasons of financial, physical or academic 
limitations or in order to maintain the standards of education, the annual permitted strength in any branch 
of  study  or  faculty  of  such  institution  cannot  be  increased  for  the  academic  session  following  the 
commencement  of  this  Act,  it  may  permit  by  notification  in  the  Official  Gazette,  such  institution  to 
increase  the  annual  permitted  strength  over  a  maximum  period  of  2[six  years]  beginning  with  the 
academic  session  following  the  commencement  of  this  Act;  and  then,  the  extent  of  reservation  for  the 
Other Backward Classes as provided in clause (iii) of section 3 shall be limited for that academic session 
in  such  manner  that  the  number  of  seats  available  to  the  Other  Backward  Classes  for  each  academic 
session are commensurate with the increase in the permitted strength for each year. 

6. Reservation of seats in admissions to begin in calendar year, 3[2008].—The Central Educational 
Institutions shall take all necessary steps, which are required in giving effect to the provisions of sections 
3,  4  and  5  of  this  Act,  for  the  purposes  of  reservation  of  seats  in  admissions  to  its  academic  sessions 
commencing on and from the calendar year, 3[2008]. 

7. Laying of notifications before Parliament.—Every notification made under this Act shall be laid, 
as  soon  as  may  be  after  it  is  made,  before  each  House  of  Parliament  while  it  is  in  session,  for  a  total 
period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and 
if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, 
both  Houses  agree  in  making  any  modification  in  the  notification  or  both  Houses  agree  that  the 
notification should not be made, the notification shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or 
be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without 
prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that notification. 

1. Subs. by Act 31 of 2012, s. 5, for “number of such seats available” (w.e.f. 19-6-2012). 
2. Subs. by s. 5, ibid., for “three years” (w.e.f. 19-6-2012). 
3. Subs. by s. 6, ibid., for “2007” (w.e.f. 19-6-2012). 

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THE SCHEDULE 

[See section 4(b)] 

S. No. 

Names of the Institutions of Excellence, etc. 

1. 

Homi  Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai and its constituent units, namely:— 

(i) Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay; 

(ii) Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam;  

(iii) Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore; 

(iv) Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar;  

(v) Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata;  

(vi) Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata;  

(vii) Institute of Physics, Bhubaneshwar;  

(viii) Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai;  

(ix) Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad;  

(x) Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. 

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. 

North-Eastern  Indira  Gandhi  Regional  Institute  of  Health  and  Medical  Science, 
Shillong. 

National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Gurgaon. 

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore. 

Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. 

Space Physics Laboratory, Thiruvananthapuram. 

Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun. 

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2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

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