New Delhi, April 28: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on a plea relating to the Economically Weaker Section in the All-India Quota in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test examination.
A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said that it will list it the week after next.
Senior Advocate Arvind Datar mentioned petitions saying that the bench is sitting till lunch and therefore matter is unlikely to be taken today. He also apprised the Court that the exam is on May 23 and the results will be announced on May 30.
The Supreme Court was hearing a matter relating to reservation to EWS quota in NEET PG.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had said that merit should be socially contextualized and reconceptualized as an instrument that advances social goods that society values like equality.
The top court had said, “Merit cannot be reduced to narrow definitions of performance in an open competitive examination which only provides formal equality of opportunity” while upholding the constitutional validity of reservations for the Other Backward Classes and the Economically Weaker Section in the All-India Quota in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test examination.
Rejecting the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of OBC reservation in AIQ seats, the court had said that “the Union Government was not required to seek the permission of this Court before providing reservation in AIQ seats”.
On January 7, the Supreme Court allowed NEET-PG Counselling for 2021-2022 based on existing EWS/OBC reservation criteria.
The apex court had given a green signal to 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) and 10 per cent for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) seats for the admission process in the NEET as existing criteria this year.
However, in the case of the EWS category, the Supreme Court had said that the 10 per cent criteria, which were notified earlier, shall continue to operate for this year so that the admissions process shall not be dislocated for the current academic year.
The Court had said that it will hear the matter relating to EWS later and listed it for the third week in March for further hearing.
The Court had noted that there is an urgent need to commence the process of counselling and therefore it issued some interim direction.
On December 31, the Centre filed an affidavit stating that it has decided to stick to the existing criteria of Rs 8 lakh annual income limit for determination of 10 per cent EWS reservation with respect to the ongoing admissions to the NEET postgraduate courses.
The Centre had informed the apex court that an Expert Committee constituted by the government to reassess the criteria, suggested that the existing criteria may be continued for ongoing admissions while the revised criteria suggested by the Committee may be adopted from the next admission cycle.
Changing the EWS criteria midway will lead to complications, the Committee had opined while recommending the introduction of revised EWS criteria from the next academic year. (Agencies)
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