SC begins EWS quota hearing; Centre for early PG counseling

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Dhananjay Mahapatra TNN

06.01.2022

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday commenced hearing on petitions challenging the 27% OBC and 10% EWS (reservations for poor among forwards) quotas in admissions to PG medical courses and asked petitioners and Centre to conclude by Thursday arguments on the urgent issue— the resolution of which will permit counseling for postgraduate medical seats for 202122 academic session with or without the new quotas.

While the EWS quota for jobs and admissions to government educational institutions was notified in January, 2019, the 27% OBC quota in medical admissions (all-India quota) was notified in July last year much after the medical PG examination schedule was announced. 

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta was told by a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna that, “Now that you have revisited the criteria and filed an affidavit annexing the report of the committee, the petitioners’ counsel can give their arguments on the issue. We will hear them and then hear the government on Thursday. ”

The SG said, “Now, there is a judicial adjudication on the OBC quota in medical admissions. We as government would earnestly request the SC we would not create a situation where the OBC and the poorest of the general category are deprived of what is due to them. ” Mehta said, “We are at a stage where the counseling is stuck, from graduation to post-graduation courses. The resident doctors have concerns and we feel their concerns are genuine. ”

Full report on www. toi. in