PG medical students challenge ordinance on Maratha quota

NAGPUR: Terming the state government’s decision to promulgate an ordinance to ensure admissions of Maratha students under the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) quota as “politically motivated”, post-graduate medical aspirants once again knocked on judiciary’s doors, praying it be quashed along with the SEBC Act of 2018.
While issuing notices to the advocate general, Justice Shreeram Modak of the Bombay high court’s Nagpur bench fixed the petition for final hearing on June 10 after government pleader Sumant Deopujari agreed on it.
The judge also allowed Maratha students to file interventions in the case which would be heard on the same date. He, though, denied the petitioner’s demand to grant an interim stay on the PG admission process which is underway.
Three doctors—Sameer Deshmukh, Pranjali Charde and Srijan Khandelwal—through counsel Ashwin Deshpande challenged the government’s move to promulgate Maharashtra State Reservation for SEBC (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2019, by amending Section 16(2) of the Act, along with the notice issued by State CET cell on May 20.
Earlier, Charde had filed a petition demanding declaration of the March 8 notification as unconstitutional contending that the procedure adopted by the government is not in accordance with the law. On May 2, Justices Sunil Shukre and Pushpa Ganediwala clarified that the March 8 notification would not be applied to medical admissions that began on October 16 and November 2 as the NEET brochure was published on these dates for MDS and MD, MS and PG diploma courses, respectively. Endorsing high court’s verdict, the Supreme Court dismissed the government’s special leave petition (SLP).
The petitioners said the ordinance was an attempt to nullify the HC’s judgment that was later upheld by the SC.