The Supreme Court will hear a plea challenging the centre and Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) direction to provide 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.
The NEET PG 2021 counselling schedule will soon be released after a decision by the Supreme Court is given.
The Centre earlier had assured the Supreme Court that the NEET PG 2021 counselling will not start till the court decides the challenge to 27 per cent reservation for OBC and 10 per cent for EWS category in PG all India quota seats (MBBS/BDS and MD/MS/MDS) from the current academic session. On October 21, the Supreme 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.
NEET PG counselling for 50 per cent AIQ seats was scheduled to begin from October 25.
Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj appearing for the Central Government assured the Supreme Court that the counselling for NEET-PG will not commence until the Court decides the validity of the Centre's decision to introduce OBC and EWS reservation .
The bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and BV Nagarathna recorded the assurance and observed that if counselling takes place before the Court takes a decision, the "students will be in a serious problem".
"We will take your word for it then, so long as the students are not counselled. We will take your word that counselling is not starting till we decide one way or the other. Students will be in a serious problem otherwise..." Justice Chandrachud said.
