SC stops EWS quota in Maharashtra PG medical colleges

The central government had in January made Constitutional amendment granting 10% quota in jobs and admission for EWS candidates across all classes.

The Supreme Court on Thursday stopped the Maharashtra government from reserving 10% seats in postgraduate medical colleges for the members of economically weaker section (EWS) in the general category.

The order came on a plea filed by student Rajendra Agrawal who challenged two circulars of the Maharashtra government by which the quota was introduced in PG medical courses. (HT Photo)

The central government had in January made Constitutional amendment granting 10% quota in jobs and admission for EWS candidates across all classes.

A vacation bench led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi said the EWS quota cannot be applied to the PG medical courses for academic year 2019-20 as the admission process started long before resolution to have the reservation was enforced. It felt that the quota cannot be granted at the cost of others unless seats are created by the MCI, the regulatory body for medical education.

The order came on a plea filed by student Rajendra Agrawal who challenged two circulars of the Maharashtra government by which the quota was introduced in PG medical courses. Senior Counsel Gourab Banerji and Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioner, cited the SC order by which it upheld the Bombay HC verdict laying down that reservation for the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes category, introduced in Maharashtra, could not be implemented retrospectively.