New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday posted for final disposal the petitions challenging the applicability of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) criteria of Rs 8 lakh in NEET-PG 2022-23. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant said, We will post these matters for final disposal in the month of April. We now have to hear the matter and everything is there in law.
Parties concerned shall file their detailed written submission. We have upheld the 27 percent OBC quota and now we will confine ourselves to EWS criteria only. At the outset, senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for MBBS doctors, said the examination will be held in May and results will be announced thereafter. Please hear it sometime soon. Only EWS matter remains.
If anything needs to be filed from the government side, then it should be filed in advance to avoid any adjournment. Pleadings are complete in the matter, he said. On February 14, the top court had refused to entertain a plea seeking clarification on the applicability of EWS criteria of Rs 8 lakh in NEET-PG 2022-23 saying it is seized of the matter and whatever it decides will be applicable.
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The top court had said, We have not stalled the process of determining the EWS criteria for next academic year. We have said EWS quota will be as per our order. We have kept the matter in March for disposal. The process cannot stop. Whatever we will decide will apply. On January 20, in its reasoned order, 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, as it upheld 27 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation in All India Quota (AIQ) seats in the NEET for UG and PG medical courses.
Justifying allowing quota for EWS on existing quota for the current academic year, the bench had said, We are still in the midst of the pandemic and any delay in the recruitment of doctors would impact the ability to manage the pandemic. Hence, it is necessary to avoid any further delays in the admission process and allow counselling to begin immediately.