NEET-PG counselling: SC agrees to hear plea relating to EWS reservation on Jan 5

New Delhi [India], January 4 : The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case relating to reservation of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category in NEET admissions for Post-Graduate medical courses on Wednesday after the Central government sought an urgent hearing in the matter.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, mentioned the matter before a bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli for urgent hearing.
"The problem is it's a three-judge bench matter, this entire week is a miscellaneous week. Let me see if tomorrow some judge is available, we will constitute a bench. Let me see. If possible I will constitute a three-judge bench or it will go before a division bench tomorrow", CJI told the Solicitor General.
Solicitor General sought an urgent hearing of the case in view of the protests by the resident doctors against the delay in NEET-PG counselling.
"It concerns EWS of society. Resident doctors are protesting and their concerns are genuine", Solicitor General added.
On Monday, Mehta mentioned the matter for urgent hearing before a Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud.
Justice Chandrachud had said it would consult the CJI and see if a special bench can be constituted for hearing the case tomorrow (Tuesday) or the day after (Wednesday).
The case was slated for hearing on January 6.
On December 31, the Centre filed an affidavit stating that it has decided to stick to the existing criteria of Rs 8 lakh annual income limit for determination of 10 per cent EWS reservation with respect to the ongoing admissions to the NEET postgraduate courses.
The Centre informed the apex court that an Expert Committee constituted by the government to reassess the criteria, suggested that the existing criteria may be continued for ongoing admissions while the revised criteria suggested by the Committee may be adopted from the next admission cycle.
Changing the EWS criteria midway will lead to complications, the Committee has opined while recommending the introduction of revised EWS criteria from the next academic year.
The affidavit has stated, "The Central government has decided to accept the recommendations of the Committee including the recommendation of applying the new criteria prospectively."
The three-member committee was constituted by the Centre after the apex court had expressed serious reservations about whether or not any study was conducted at all, before fixing the Rs 8 lakh limit for determining EWS.
Earlier, the apex court had asked the Centre to put on hold the counselling for NEET-PG until it decides 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 is examining plea against Centre's decision for medical admission.
The top court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Centre and Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) July 29, 2021 notice providing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) and 10 per cent for EWS category for the admission in the NEET for all medical seats.
The July 29 notice provide 27 per cent reservation for OBC and 10 per cent for EWS category in 15 per cent UG and 50 per cent PG All India Quota (AQI) seats (MBBS/BDS and MD/MS/MDS) with effect from the current academic session 2021-22.
On October 21, the Bench had asked the Centre whether it would like to revisit the limit of Rs 8 lakh annual income, fixed for determining the EWS category for reservation in NEET admissions for medical courses.
It had asked Centre whether any exercise was undertaken before fixing a limit of Rs 8 lakh annual income for determining the EWS category.