The Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for starting the stalled NEET-PG 2021 counselling process based on the existing 27 per cent OBC and 10 per cent EWS reservations in the All India Quota seats, saying there is an “urgent need” to begin the admission process. The order will bring relief to several doctors waiting for admissions to postgraduate courses.
A bench of justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna, which had for two consecutive days heard the matter on applicability of Rs 8 lakh annual income criteria for determination of economically weaker section (EWS), passed an interim order, saying “there is an urgent need to commence the process of counselling”.
It said it is passing operative directions while the detailed reasons would follow shortly.
“Counselling on the basis of NEET-PG 2021 and NEET- UG 2021 shall be conducted by giving effect to the reservation as provided by the notice dated July 29, 2021, including the 27 per cent reservation for the OBC (other backward class) category and 10 per cent reservation for EWS category in the AIQ (All India Quota) seats,” the bench said.
The apex court passed the interim order on a batch of pleas filed by doctors challenging a July 29, 2021, notice of the Centre and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) providing 27 per cent reservation for OBC and 10 per cent for EWS in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-PG) admissions for medical courses for the academic year 2021-22.
The top court, which passed five operative directions, said that the criteria for the determination of EWS notified by the office memorandum (OM) 2019, including `8 lakh annual income criterion, will be used for identifying the EWS category for candidates, who appeared for the NEET-PG 2021 and NEET-UG (Under Graduate) 2021 examinations.
However, the bench said the validity of the criteria determined by the Pandey Committee for identification of EWS would prospectively for the future be subject to the final result of the petitions. “The petitions shall be listed for final hearing on the validity of the EWS criteria as recommended by the Pandey Committee in the third week of March 2022,” the bench said.