NE LEGAL BUREAU
NEW DELHI, JULY 9
The Supreme Court on Thursday posted for hearing on July 13 on a plea of Tamil Nadu government against non-implementation of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in admission to seats shared by the State in the All India Quota (AIQ) of medical colleges in the State.
A Bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao after a brief hearing said it will hear the matter on Monday (July 13) as some additional documents are not placed on record.
The court was hearing an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government against a June 22 order of the Madras High Court keeping in abeyance its plea for the implementation of 50 per cent reservation for OBC in admission to seats surrendered by the State to the All India Quota in medical and dental courses.
The petition stated that the process of allocating seats is currently ongoing after the second round of counselling took place and urged that there is need to provide provisional reservation for the concerned academic year urgently.
“The allocation of medical seats for the academic year 2020-2021 is already under way and on June 16, 2020 the results for second round of counselling were announced. The candidates are in the process of reporting to the allotted Institute/College,” plea added.
It has asserted that if the writ petition is not allowed it would deny hundreds of seats to deserving OBC candidates, thereby further reinforcing their social and educational disadvantage, and further perpetrating mass inequality in the State of Tamil Nadu.
Earlier in June, the Tamil Nadu government had approached the apex court with same grievance but the top court asked it to approach the Madras High Court instead.
Based on the representations made by the Union Health Ministry, Human Resource Development Ministry and the Director General of Health Services, the High Court had adjourned the matter till July 9.
Tamil Nadu government aggrieved by the High Court’s lack of appreciation regarding the urgency of the issue, again approached the apex court.
“…the High Court has erroneously acceded to representations made by the respondents and unjustifiably kept in the Petitioner’s writ petition in abeyance till this Court issues orders in an ostensibly identical matter,” plea of state government in apex court added.
