OBCs excluded from general quota in NEET UG counselling, says students' group

NEW DELHI: The All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA) writes to prime minister Narendra Modi alleging that the Other Backward Class (OBC) category students were not considered for general quota. The student body claims that OBC students were confined to reservation categories in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG counselling 2022.

AIOBCSA requests PM Modi to constitute a high level committee to conduct enquiry on the violations in the allocation of seats during the NEET UG counselling process. OBC students had a right to claim 27% of the seats available. The student association states that total of 2445 MBBS seats to OBCs should be allotted after completion of general seats or open competition seats, as per reservation rules.

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"The authorities allotted only 49 seats after completion of general merit. The remaining 2,96 candidates who got better than the last rank of general category were shown in OBC reservation category, which was against Supreme Court judgments," read the AIOBCSA press note.

The students' group emphasised on how only 49 seats were allotted to the OBC candidates after the cut off rank for the general category and how this led to such students loosing 2,396 seats in the NEET UG Counselling 2022.

The statement further explains that the seats by open competition are to be filled first where candidates are called based on merit base alone, irrespective of their caste. Only after this categories such as SC, ST, OBC are counselled to fill seats according to reservations allotted. In case a candidate belongs to such categories and have taken admission under the open competition, the seat vacated by them in open competition is to be filled with a candidate from the same reservation category in the order of merit.

The government of India recently extended the reservations to the 15% seats contributed by the state medical Institutions under All India Quota in 2021. In central institutions of medical colleges, OBC candidates are provided 27% according to the reservation in admission act, 2006.

"General Quota is not a reserved quota for non-SC, ST, OBC candidates. SC, ST, and OBC who secured marks or rank in general merit and must be considered under general quota only. Do not confine meritorious OBCs, SCs, and STs to reserved quota only. This is against the Supreme Court Judgement." said the AIOBSCA statement.