Lifting its stay, the Kerala High Court today permitted the UDF government to proceed with allotment of 50 per cent of seats it had reserved under state quota in post graduate courses in self financing medical colleges.

The order in this regard was issued by Justice Antony Dominic on two petitions by four self financing medical colleges and Pariyaram cooperative medical college on the issue of state quota.

However, the court made it clear that the allotments would be subject to final order on the writ petitions.

The court rejected the plea of Pariyaram Medical College to protect admissions already made. Of the 21 PG seats in Pariyaram, 16 had been alloted and only five seats are vacant.

When the matter came up before the court today, Advocate General K P Dandapani said the Supreme Court had allowed the state's application seeking time for allotment till tomorrow.

The court did not accept the contentions of Kerala Christian Professional Management Colleges Management Federation to which the four medical colleges -- Pushpagiri, Amala, Kolencherry medical mission and Jubilee belong -- that what is extended is all India quota and not state quota.

Kerala government had directed that 50 per cent of post-graduate medical seats in the self-financing medical colleges will be reserved for allotment by it.

Student outfits in the state have been protesting the refusal of managements of self-financing colleges to follow the state quota rules. 15 persons, including a CPI-M MLA and 10 policemen, were injured yesterday as the agitation turned violent.

The issue rocked the state assembly today with ruling UDF and opposition LDF members nearly coming to blows over the police lathicharge on pro-Left outfits, forcing the House to adjourn for the day.

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Ruckus in Kerala Assembly over lathicharge on students

Kerala assembly witnessed unruly scenes on Thursday when opposition and ruling members came to near blows over yesterday's police lathichage on pro-Left organisations on the self-financing colleges issue.

Speaker G Karthikeyan called the watch-and-ward to prevent a commotion after two legislators rushed to the chair of the chief minister, and adjourned the House after the situation got out of control.

The trouble started after opposition Deputy Leader in the House Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, through an adjournment motion, raised the issue of "brutal" lathicharge on student activists who were protesting against "commercialisation of education" in the capital yesterday.

He said even R Rajesh, MLA representing Mavelikkara, came under attack by the police.

Replying to the motion, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said there was no justification in the student struggle as there was absolutely nothing different between the policies of the previous LDF government and UDF government on the self-financing issue.

He also denied the charge that Rajesh was injured in the police action. "A cover was made by the police under Deputy Commissioner of police Thomas Jolly Cherian to protect him," he said.

On hearing this, CPI-M member Babu M Palissery rushed to the chair of the Chief Minister with a blood-stained cloth.

Rajesh also followed him and showed the injury on his hand.

Ruling party members also got up and moved to the front benches. As both sides appeared to reach to near blows, the Speaker adjourned the House temporarily. .