NEET: Supreme Court to hear plea against validity of EWS criteria in AIQ seats in April

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will now hear pleas challenging the validity of Rs 8 lakh annual income criteria for determining Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category in All India Quota seats in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG and PG admissions, as per Live Law.

The matter was listed before the Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant. About hearing the matter, Justice Chandrachud said, “We'll have to post it for hearing now.”

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Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Arvind Datar requested the judges to hear the issue soon and said, “Exam will be conducted somewhere in May and results will thereafter be announced. Please hear it sometime soon. Only the EWS matter is involved.” “If there is something more filed by the govt, please supply it in advance. Pleadings are complete,” he added.

Justice Chandrachud adjourned the petitions for April and said, “We'll keep it in April on some non-miscellaneous day. We now have to hear the matter and everything is there in law. We're only confined to EWS, OBC we have upheld. Court master will just check if there is some specific date on which it can be held. By the afternoon you'll get the date.”

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While the top court had settled the matter on the 27% OBC quota in NEET UG counselling 2021 and NEET PG counselling 2021, it had decided to continue to hear the case on the 10% EWS quota in the third week of March.

The top court had observed orally that whatever it decides regarding the validity of the Rs 8 lakhs annual income criteria for the EWS quota in the NEET PG matter will apply to the NEET PG 2022-2023 admissions as well.

The Supreme Court, on January 7, had paved the way for starting the stalled NEET PG 2021 counselling process based on the existing 27% Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 10% EWS reservations in the AlQ seats, saying there is an "urgent need" to begin the admission process.