The Supreme Court on Friday allowed NEET-PG Counselling for 2021-2022 based on existing EWS/OBC reservation criteria.
The apex court has given green signal to 27% reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) and 10% for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) categories in the All-India Quota (AIQ) seats for the admission process in the NEET as existing criteria this year. A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and A.S. Bopanna said that it has upheld the constitutional validity of 27% reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) for the admission in the NEET-PG.
However, for the EWS category, the Supreme Court said that the 10% criteria, which was notified earlier shall continue to operate for this year so that the admissions process shall not be dislocated for the current academic year.
The Court said that it will hear the matter relating to EWS later and listed it for 3 March 2022 for further hearing.
The Court noted that there is an urgent need to commence the process of counselling and therefore it issued some interim direction. The Court has earlier reserved its order on pleas relating to providing 27% reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) and 10% for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) seats for the admission in the NEET for all medical seats.
NEET-PG counselling has been on hold as the case was pending before the top court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre contended that any revised criteria should be made applicable prospectively and the present counselling and admission should be held as per the existing criteria. The government has also defended the OBC reservation as well as the Rs 8 lakh income criterion for determining EWS.
Senior advocates Arvind Datar and Shyam Divan appeared in the court on behalf of some of the candidates.
On Wednesday, the Centre requested the top court to allow commencement of the counselling for NEET-PG saying the doctors concern for counselling are genuine. Resident doctors have been protesting against the delay in the NEET-PG counselling.
Earlier, the apex court had asked the Centre to put on hold the counselling for NEET-PG until it decided the validity of the Centre’s decision to introduce OBC and EWS reservation in All India Quota (AIQ). It had said that NEET-PG counselling will not start without its approval as the court was examining plea against Centre’s decision for medical admission.