SC Refuses To Hear Plea By Political Parties Over Reservations For OBCs In Medical Colleges In Tamil Nadu

The SC has refused to hear a plea submitted by different political parties over the Centre's decision to not provide a 50 percent reservation to OBCs in NEET medical college seats in Tamil Nadu.

File Photo: PTI.

New Delhi: The supreme court has refused to hear pleas submitted over the issue of reservation of Other Backward Class (OBCs)in Tamil Nadu Medical colleges under National Eligibility cum Entrance Test NEET 2020, All India Quota. The plea was made by several political parties who have challenged the centre's decision to not provide a 50 percent reservation to OBCs in medical colleges in Tamil Nadu which is a violation of state reservation law. According to a PTI report, several political parties Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have submitted the plea. The DMK has said that the Medical Council of India (MCI) regulations clearly state that state reservation laws have to be adhered to while filling up the seats for which aspirants give the National Eligibility Test or NEET. ‘The party said that the All India Quota seats are contributed by states surrendering seats in the government and private medical and dental colleges as per the MCI regulations,’ DMK said in its plea. They have also asked to put on hold the all India Counselling for Postgraduate seats for NEET 2020 till the reservation quota is met. The CPI(M) has said that center and other regulatory agencies have said ‘grossly failed to provide the statutory reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBC) i.e. Backward Classes (BC) and Most Backward Classes (MBC) and anomaly in granting reservation to SC-STs students in admissions to the Undergraduate and Post Graduate medical courses in all medical colleges in Tamil Nadu.’ The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) which is currently in power in Tamil Nadu has also questioned the center’s decision and said that there is ‘no rational basis for the decision. Reports say that the court said that reservation is not a fundamental right and bench which comprised of  Justices L Nageswara Rao, Krishna Murari, and S Ravindra Bhat have asked the lawyers representing the party to approach the Madras High Court. “You should withdraw this and go to the Madras High Court,” the bench said in a report by PTI. Last month, the All India Federation of Other Backward Classes Employees' Welfare Associations had written to the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan over the violation of reservation policy and unavailability of quota in medical colleges for OBCs. While there is a quota in Central government institutes, there are none in state-run institutes.