NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday gave its green light to NEET-UG and NEET-PG counselling for 2021-22 admissions while upholding the validity of the notification to allow 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the all India quota seats in state-run government medical institutions.
A two-judge bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud also permitted 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), with a Rs 8 lakh annual income as the threshold for this academic year.
But for future admissions, the court will hear petitions challenging the EWS criteria in the third week of March.
The bench said submissions by all parties necessitate a detailed interim order on the applicability of the EWS criteria.
“The formulation of the reasons in the interim order on the EWS reservation would take some time. The validity of the OBC reservation in the AIQ seats in NEET-PG and NEET-UG is upheld for reasons to follow,” the bench added.
Counselling had to be suspended from November 25 after the Centre informed the court about its decision to revisit the criteria for determining the EWS.
The Centre had sought four weeks for a review committee to file its report. Its submission followed the bench’s posers on the logic and study before deciding on the income cap.
A three-member review committee led by Ajay Bhushan Pandey, former finance secretary, submitted its report on December 31, supporting the Rs 8 lakh annual income limit as a reasonable.
By during the hearing on Thursday, Justice Chandrachud observed that the Pandey panel was trying to justify the EWS criteria post facto.
“It appears what the committee has sought to do is offer a justification for the Rs 8 lakh criterion. They have tried to justify the cut-off post facto.”
Medical Students heave a sigh of relief
A federation of resident doctors that had protested the delay in NEET-PG counselling in Delhi, heaved a sigh of relief and hailed the SC order, calling it a historic day. The agitation was led by the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association.