HC notice to Centre on plea for OBC quota in Tamil Nadu's share of all-India medical seats

The Madras High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Centre on a batch of petitions, including those filed by political parties ruling AIADMK and opposition DMK, seeking reservation for OBC candidates in the all-India quota for UG and PG medical courses as per Tamil Nadu law.

In their submissions before a bench comprising justices R.Subbiah and Krishnan Ramasamy, counsels for the petitioners alleged out of 8,800 seats surrendered by states, OBCs was not given even a single seat and that all were transferred to General category "which is unjustified and unconstitutional". During the hearing through video conference, senior counsel P. Wilson for DMK argued that the Medical Council of India (MCI) was denying the reservation for OBC students which they were entitled to as per law. He further argued the MCI regulations permit adopting state reservations even in the seats that are surrendered to the all-India quota.

In their public interest litigation (PIL) petitions, the AIADMK, DMK, MDMK and DK among others contended that the Union Ministry of Health and family Welfare also did not follow its own policy of 27 per cecnt reserved seats for OBCs under the 2006 Act. This had resulted in OBCs being robbed off 10,000 seats in the last three years at least and many more during the preceding years, they claimed. The Centre cannot be permitted to turn a blind eye when a significant number of meritorious OBC students were denied seats in the in All India Quota, the petitioners submitted.

Issuing the notice to the Centre, the bench adjourned the hearing to June 22.

The PILs have been filed after the Supreme Court had on June 11 refused to entertain pleas challenging the Centre's decision not to grant 50 per cent reservation to OBCs as per Tamil Nadu law in medical seats surrendered by the state in the All India quota for under graduate, post graduate and dental courses in 2020-21. While saying that the right to reservation is not a fundamental right, the apex court had asked the political parties to approach the high court with their pleas for grant of OBC quota in medical admissions.