In a relief to postgraduate medical aspirants from the Maratha community, Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao on Monday signed the ordinance that amends the legislation regarding reservation for the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.
The ordinance will benefit students who had secured admission under the Maratha quota, but were affected after Supreme Court stayed the process.
It amends Section 16(2) of the Maharashtra State Reservation (of seats for admission in educational institutions in the State and for appointments in the public services and posts under the State) for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2019, which said that the legislation shall not apply to institutions where the admission process had been initiated before the commencement of the Act.
Point 9 of the ordinance statement read, “It is considered expedient to ensure that the intention in enacting the [SEBC] Act of 2018 is manifest by making express provisions by inserting a suitable clause in Explanation to sub-section (2) of the Section 16 of the said Act, for applying the reservation in admissions to SEBC class in respect of all admissions effected after the date of coming into force of the said Act of 2018. It is also expedient to ensure that in respect of medical and dental graduate and postgraduate courses there shall be reservation in favour of SEBC class from the educational year 2019-20 and also for admission to other educational courses including undergraduate courses requiring passing of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test or any other National Entrance Test.”
Dr. Tatyarao Lahane, director, Directorate of Medical Education (DMER), said that with the ordinance signed, the SEBC admissions till now will stand valid, as will the Round 1 and 2 of admissions in the State for Medicinae Doctor, Master of Surgery and Master of Dental Surgery. “Now the mop-up round for the State will commence on Tuesday and the admissions should conclude by May 31,” Dr. Lahane said.
In a notice put up late on Monday night, the State CET Cell said the notices issued between May 9 and 11 after the SC verdict are cancelled, and the admissions of the students selected in previous rounds with a ‘joined’ or ‘retained’ status as on May 3 are restored. Aspirants selected in the previous rounds were also instructed to rejoin the respective institutes by 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Stir to be called off
The relieved Maratha aspirants plan to withdraw their protest at Azad Maidan on Tuesday morning. Virendra Pawar, convener, Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is backing the aspirants, said, “The joining dates of the students have been displayed on the State CET Cell portal. We are satisfied now.”
Meanwhile, aspirants from the open category will challenge the ordinance in the Bombay High Court and its Nagpur Bench. While a petition will be filed before the Nagpur Bench on Wednesday, the HC will be approached in the coming week. “Not only are the postgraduate aspirants affected, but undergraduate students are hit too with the ordinance. Our draft was ready only for the postgraduate aspirants, and we will now have to include undergraduate students in it too,” Sudha Shenoy, a parent, said.
In its May 9 verdict, the Supreme Court had said that the postgraduate admission procedure in the State should be completed by May 25. However, an extension was sought till May 31. For undergraduate students, the results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test are likely to come out in the first week of June and the admission process is likely to commence by mid-June.
SC dismisses plea
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition of students granted admission in the all-India seats who had sought to return to the State, citing loss of over 200 seats if vacated. Another petition challenging the Economically Weaker Sections quota in the State is likely to be heard by the SC this week.