The Supreme Court today resumed the hearing on the petitions challenging the validity of the Centre's decision to implement reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections in NEET PG admissions.
The Apex Court has now directed for listing the hearing on OBC/EWS quota on January 6, 2022.
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it has decided to revisit Rs 8 Lakh criteria for determining the EWS. The decision will be taken within 4 weeks and thus the counselling for NEET Admission will be deferred for a further period of 4 weeks, Live Law reported.
The NEET PG was conducted on September 12 and the provisional answer key was released on October 15, 2021. Around 16 lakh students have appeared for the examination this year.
However, the counselling by the MCC is yet to start.
Because of the pending decision on the OBC/EWS (economic weaker section) quota in the all-India quota for medical admissions, the Supreme Court stayed the counselling for NEET-PG without its approval, after the Centre assured it not to commence the counselling before any court decision.
The top court had clarified that it is not embarking on the policy domain of the government, but it wants to ascertain whether the constitutional principles have adhered.
The Supreme Court recently had fixed today for hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Centre and Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) July 29 notice providing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) and 10 per cent for EWS category in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) admissions for medical courses.
On October 21, the top court had asked the Centre whether it would like to revisit the limit of rupees eight lakh annual income, fixed for determining the EWS category for reservation in NEET admissions for medical courses.
(This is a developing story. The updates will be added after the hearing starts.)
