Supreme Court seeks MCI, Maharashtra reply on 10 per cent PG medical seats quota

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Maharashtra government on a plea challenging the extension of 10 per cent quota for the candidates from the economically weaker sections belonging to general category in post-graduate medical courses without a matching increasing in the number of seats.

A vacation bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose sought response from the MCI and Maharashtra government as petitioners contended that the number of students under the EWS category was 7.5 per cent, but the reservation being extended was in excess of that.

The Constitution’s 103rd amendment, paving way for 10 per cent reservation for EWS in general category, was passed by Parliament in January 2019.

Akash Kakade, appearing for the petitioner, said that the 10 per cent reservation in medical courses was being pushed even though the MCI has already said that 10 per cent increase in seats in post-graduate medical courses to accommodate reservation for the EWS was not possible in the current academic year.

Another lawyer appearing in the matter said that with the extension of 10 per cent reservation for EWS, the total reservation in Maharashtra has gone upto 76-50 per cent for SC/STs, OBCs, 16 per cent for socially and educationally backward classes, also known as Maratha reservation, and 10 per cent for EWS.