Nagpur: The interim stay on admissions to MBBS and BDS seats across India under OBC and ESIC quota would continue till Tuesday after Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court adjourned Monday’s hearing while accepting Centre’s reply.
Earlier, the affidavit submitted by the Delhi-based Director General of Health Services (DGHS) clarified that the 27% reservation for OBC candidates is being provided from 2009 in MBBS/BDS seats under 15% All India Quota (AIQ) only in central institutions. It was in pursuance of Central Educational Institutions (Reservation is admissions) Act, 2006, enacted on April 20, 2008.
It was submitted by DGHS assistant director (Medical Education) Dr B Srinivas during Tuesday’s hearing, in response to PIL by Akhil Bhartiya OBC Mahasangh President Baban Taywade, through counsel Purushottam Patil, demanding proper representation of OBC students in medical and dental seats.
The second plea was by a student Samiksha Gaikwad, who was denied admission in the MBBS seats along with her brother under the ESIC quota, through her counsels Tushar Mandlekar and Rohan Malviya.
While the hearing on Taywade’s case was already scheduled on Tuesday, Justices Bhushan Dharmadhikari and Zaka Haq, while hearing Gaikwad’s case on Monday, indicated they would like to hear both cases simultaneously.
The affidavit by DGHS, working under Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, informed that from academic year 2018 onwards, in pursuance of Supreme Court’s directives, the online counselling for allotment of MBBS/BDS seats was made by it in deemed and central universities based on NEET UG score.
About 15% reservation for SCs and 7.5% for STs is being provided from academic year 2007-08 for allotment of MBBS/BDS seats under 15% AIQ as per the SC orders of January 1, last year. In Gazette Notification of January 4, 2007, issued by Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), 27% seats were reserved for OBCs in central educational institutions.
“At present, 27% reservation for OBC candidates is being provided for UG seats in AIQ seats, only in central medical institutions. It is important to mention that about 920 OBC candidates took admissions to the UG medical seats against total number of 3,388 unreserved (UR) category seats, during first round of online counselling this year, conducted by Medical Counselling Committee (MMC) and DGHS,” Srinivas informed.
As per the schedule of online counselling for 15% AIQ/deemed/central universities and ESIC seats of MBBS/BDS for the current year, the allotment process of first and second rounds were already over by July 3 and 13 respectively. A plea by Saloni Kumari in the apex court for 27% reservation for OBCs in All India UG quota is pending for decision, the affidavit mentioned.
