SC to hear review plea on AIIMS quota

The Supreme Court has decided to examine the Centre’s plea for reconsideration of the verdict striking down reservation in appointment for faculty posts in speciality and super speciality courses in medical colleges including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

A five-judge bench presided over by Justice H L Dattu directed for listing of the matter in open court.

“Post IA No 1(application for open court hearing on review) for hearing before the court,” the bench also comprising justices S S Nijjar, Ranjan Gogoi, M Y Eqbal and Vikramjit Sen said in its brief one line order following in-chamber hearing.

A five-judge Constitutional bench led by then Chief Justice Altamas Kabir had on July 18 endorsed the views expressed in 1992 by a nine-judge Constitutional bench in the Indra Sawhney case, popularly known as the Mandal case, and said there had to be certain cases where merit alone would count.The verdict emphasised that “the very concept of reservation implies mediocrity”.

Questioning the decision, the Centre claimed that the verdict went against the mandate of the Mandal judgement, which did not prohibit reservation of posts in any particular service or posts or hierarchy and left it to the government to formulate its policy.