Need an end to uncertainty: SC on Centre's plea for NEET-PG counselling

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said there is a need to put an end to uncertainty with regard to NEET PG admissions, as the Centre urged it to allow the counselling, which remained stuck due to objections to Rs 8 lakh annual income criterion for economically weaker section (EWS).

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, submitted before a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna, "We are at a point where counselling is stuck. We need doctors in this difficult situation, and we as a society cannot go into the reservation and lengthy arguments".

He pointed out the quota dated back to January 2019 and it has been implemented across the country.

Mehta asked the court to allow the counselling to begin, and in the meantime, it could consider the objections.

Also Read | What's all the hullabaloo over EWS quota in postgraduate medical course admissions?

The bench, also comprising Justice A S Bopanna, asked senior advocates Arvind Datar and Shyam Divan, representing the petitioners, their views on Mehta’s suggestion on commencement of counselling.

“We need to put an end to this uncertainty," the bench said.

Mehta also maintained the government would not accept any position whereby the OBC or the EWS, whether before or after the exercise, were deprived of something, legitimately due to them.

He said any intelligent mind can point out errors in the expert panel report, recommending retaining the Rs 8 lakh annual income criterion.

The petitioners’ counsel, on the contrary, submitted that the rules of the game should not change.

During the hearing, Divan argued that postgraduate admissions must be completely merit-based and reservation must be minimal. He referred to Supreme Court judgements which hold that there should be no reservation in super-speciality courses.

In many courses, postgraduate is the end of the road which means super-speciality in some departments. Therefore, the principle of super-speciality will apply to postgraduate courses too, he said. The top court will continue to hear the matter on Thursday.

The Centre has told the top court that Rs 8 lakh income criterion for determining the EWS is much more stringent than the one for the OBC creamy layer.

A group of petitioners led by Neil Aurelio Nunes challenged the Centre's notification of July 29 to implement OBC and EWS reservation in NEET-All India Quota from the current academic session in PG courses.

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