HC clarifies on OBC quota order for medical officers

HC clarifies on OBC quota order for medical officers

Bhopal:11.08.2021

A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court headed by the Chief Justice on Tuesday clarified that scope of their order allowing the state government to go ahead with appointment of medical officers with 14% OBC quota and keep the 13% extra reservation for OBCs on hold was limited to the recruitment of medical officers only.

The division bench on an application by the state government seeking permission to recruit medical officers in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic with 27% reservation to the OBCs said that a list of selected candidates can be issued with 14% quota for OBCs and the list prepared with 27% reservation for them would remain in abeyance. The court clarified that scope of the order was limited to recruitment of medical officers for which the state government had moved the application.

Aditya Sanghi, advocate for the petitioners who have challenged the hike in OBC quota said the interim order of the court on March 19, 2019, staying the operation of an ordinance hiking quota for OBCs in state government jobs and admission into institutes of higher education to 27% percent from the existing 14% will continue to remain in force. The court on Monday clarified that the ambit of its previous order was limited to recruitment of medical officers only, he added.

Purusendra Kaurav appeared for the state government and R P Singh for the petitioners supporting OBC quota hike. TNN