New Delhi: Chief Justice NV Ramana on Monday agreed to hear the EWS quota case on January 5 after the Center asked the apex court to hear the case related to reservation of economically backward sections (EWS) in NEET. Admission to postgraduate medical courses.
The case is set to be heard on January 6.
Solicitor General of India Thushar Mehta, appearing for the Center, said resident doctors were concerned as access to PG courses was stalled without a hearing before the 3-J bench.
The Center had on December 31 submitted an affidavit stating that it had decided to stick to the existing norm of Rs 8 lakh per annum for setting an EWS reservation of 10 per cent for admission to NEET postgraduate courses.
The Center informed the apex court that the government has constituted an expert committee to review the criteria and the existing criteria for admission will continue and the revised criteria proposed by the committee will be adopted from the next admission cycle.
The committee opined that changing the EWS standard halfway would lead to complications, and recommended that the revised EWS standard be introduced from the next academic year.
The affidavit states that the Central Government has decided to accept the recommendations of the Committee, including its recommendation for the future application of the new norms.
The Center formed the three-member committee after the Supreme Court expressed serious reservation on whether any study had been done before setting a limit of Rs 8 lakh for determining the EWS.
The apex court had earlier asked the Center to suspend NEET-PG counseling till it decides the validity of the Centre’s decision to introduce OBC and EWS reservation in the All India Quota (AIQ). It was made clear that NEET-PG counseling would not be started without permission as the court was examining the petition against the Central Government’s decision for medical admission.
The apex court was hearing a series of petitions challenging the July 29, 2021 notice issued by the Center and the Medical Counseling Committee (MCC), which provides 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and 10 per cent for the EWS category for NEET admission. All medical seats.
In the July 29 notification, OBCs will be given 27 per cent reservation, EWS 15 per cent UG and 50 per cent PG All India Quota (AQI) seats (MBBS / BDS, MD / MS / MDS) 10 per cent reservation. Current Academic Session 2021-22.
On October 21, the bench had asked the Center whether it would like to reconsider the annual income limit of Rs 8 lakh set by the EWS section for reservation in NEET admission to medical courses.
The Center was asked whether any action had been taken before setting the annual income limit of Rs 8 lakh for the EWS category.
(With inputs from agencies)
