NEET PG Counselling 2021 Has To Start In National Interest: SC Reserves Order On OBC, EWS Quota Case

NEET PG Counselling 2021 Latest Updates: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved the order on a plea related to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota. During the hearing, the apex court said the counselling has to begin in national interest. The matter was being heard by a special bench of justices- Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice AS Bopanna.Also Read – International Flights to Sharjah to Start Operation From Pune Airport Today | Check Timing, Other Details

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court had heard the arguments made by Senior Advocates Arvind Datar and Shyam Divan. Also Read – India Reports Second Omicron Death in Odisha’s Balangir District, Patient Had no Travel History

Supreme Court reserves order on pleas relating to Centre’s decision of providing 27% reservation for OBCs and 10% for EWS category in All-India Quota seats for the admission in NEET for all medical seats. NEET-PG counseling is on hold as the case was pending before the top court. pic.twitter.com/olLxSxaiSz

— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2022

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Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Shyam Divan said in the supreme court that the new system of reservation should come into force from next year. However, he referred to the July 29 notification for implementing EWS and OBC quota and said it is like “changing the rules of the game midway” as the reservation policy was introduced after the exams were notified.

Notably, the NEET PG counselling 2021 for 50 per cent AIQ seats was supposed to begin on October 25 but the MCC had postponed it due to the Supreme Court’s direction. Later the MCC introduced changes to the NEET counselling scheme, and said the process will remain the same as previous years for central institutions.

On Wednesday, the apex court said it is important to put an end to uncertainty in connection with NEET-PG admissions even as the Centre requested it to allow counselling which is on hold against the backdrop of objections raised regarding income criterion of Rs 8 lakh for economically weaker sections (EWS).

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the Central government would not accept any position whereby the OBC or EWS aspirants, whether pre or post the exercise is deprived of something, which is legitimately due to them.

He also emphasised that the quota dates back to January 2019, and it has been implemented across the country. “We are at a point where counselling is stuck. We need doctors in this difficult situation, and we, as a society, cannot go into reservation and lengthy arguments,” he said.

Furthermore, the Centre also told the top court that Rs 8 lakh income criterion for determining the EWS is much more stringent than the one for the OBC creamy layer.

The top court was hearing writ petitions challenging 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 10 per cent reservation for EWS in all-India quota seats for postgraduate medical courses. As many as 15 per cent seats in MBBS and 50 per cent seats in MS and MD courses are filled through All India Quota from the candidates selected through the NEET.

In the meantime, the NEET-PG candidates, who had challenged a July 29, 2021 notification for the implementation of the OBC and the EWS quotas from the 2021-22 academic year, opposed the government’s justification of applying the Rs 8 lakh income criteria, saying no study has been conducted.

Appearing for some of the candidates, senior advocate Shyam Divan said they have already argued the matter before the bench and if the court wants, they can do so again. He said they have challenged the July 29 notification because once the notice for examination was issued in February-March last year, the rules of the game could not be changed in between.