The Supreme Court (SC) Monday refused to entertain a plea by medical students to modify its June 4 order for post-graduate medical admissions in the state. The court said admissions, for seats left vacant after scrapping 10 per cent economically weaker sections (EWS) quota, must be done on the basis of merit.
“The order dated June 4 is absolutely clear and requires no clarification. The number of seats in the quota of economically weaker sections has now been scrapped. The seats will now be available in the general category and will be filled up as per the merit of NEET,” the SC order said.
It added, “There can be no question of exclusion of any meritorious candidate irrespective of the category provided… if the candidates get cut-off marks as required for the general category.”
The SC had scrapped 10 per cent reservation for EWS category for this academic year, directing the state government to revert seats under EWS quota back in the open category and hold fresh counselling sessions for only open category students. On Sunday, the state CET cell began the counselling process, where at least 600 students were called.
In the latest petition, students sought permission to change their seat preference, and fill a ‘fresh choice filling form’ for counselling. With the SC rejecting their plea, the counselling process is set to continue.
Following the June 4 order, the state CET cell has also been turning away students of reserved category from counselling sessions. Certain streams such as biophysics, community health administration, dermatology, emergency and critical care, do not have a single seat reserved for students belonging to reserved categories. Reserved category students interested in these streams are neither able to apply under open category nor under reserved category.
The court also declined to entertain another application, which wanted it to clarify that the June 4 order would not come in the way of the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court deciding the challenge to the ordinance introducing the SEBC (socially and educationally backward caste) and granting 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community. The court said the June 4 order will not come in the way of the HC deciding the matter.
