Admission to PG medical courses subject to ruling on Maratha quote: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on June 9 sought a response from the government of Maharashtra over a plea filed by six MBBS doctors seeking a direction on granting 12 per cent quota to the Marathas. As per the doctors, the Quota shall not be made pertinent for the admission into the Post Graduate Medical and Dental Courses for session 2020-2021.

Through proceedings held through video conferencing, a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Krishna Murari clarified that all admission to PG medical and dental courses in the state for the current academic session would be “subject to the outcome” of the appeal challenging the state law on Maratha quota.

The top court also heard the submissions of the doctor's lawyers, Amit Anand Tiwari, Rajeev Kumar Panday, and Vivek Singh, and issued notices to the state government, the State Common Entrance Test Cell and the Medical Counselling Committee which conduct the examination and counseling for admission to PG Medical and dental courses.

Seizing appeal
The Maratha quota was introduced through 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 Act, 2018. Known as the SEBC Act 2018, it was challenged in the Supreme Court in July 2019. The apex court has admitted the appeals against it but did not stay the Bombay High Court order which broadly upheld the quota law but with some modifications.

"We make it clear that the order of the High Court on reservation will not have retrospective effect," said the bench, as reported by the Press Trust of India.

The Petition
In 2019, the central government introduced a 10% reservation of seats for economically weaker sections. The Maharashtra Government introduced added 12% Maratha quota. The six doctors said they had got admission to MBBS courses by competing for 48% open category seats. However, at the post-graduation level, they are being compelled to compete for only 26% seats, which was unfair and a violation of their fundamental rights.

Their plea said, as reported PTI said: “It is stated that the application of SEBC reservations (i.e. Reservation of 12 per cent of Maratha community) in Medical PG admissions has led to gross injustice and unequal treatment to the open category meritorious students of Maharashtra, who can now compete only on the reduced 26 per cent seats in PG admission as 74 per cent of seats in the state are reserved. The reservation in the State has seriously prejudiced the meritorious candidates in the open category and has jeopardized their future.”

The top court has taken this into consideration and decided to hear the fresh plea on July 7, 2020, including the pending ones against the state quota law.

(With inputs from PTI)