West Bengal has enacted an amendment to implement 30% domicile reservation system in the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata, Bar and Bench reported on Wednesday.

The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (Amendment) Act, 2018, which was published in the state’s extraordinary gazette dated May 21, has introduced domicile reservation under Section 4 of the NUJS Parent Act of 1999.

The bill was passed in the state Assembly in November 2018 even as students at the institution accused the state government of interference and threatening the independence and the national character of the university. The students had drafted a position paper at the time, detailing the harm the domicile quota law would cause, according to The Times of India.

The new amendment has given the state more say in determining fees and student admission. It has laid down a tuition fee waiver for at least 5% of students coming from poor and economically backward sections of society. Earlier, fees were determined by the university.

The amended law states that merit for admission to the university may be determined either on the basis of marks or grades obtained in the qualifying examination, or marks obtained in the relevant entrance examinations conducted by the university at the national or state level.