Centre against 10% reservation in PG medical

The Centre said court's interim order would open the floodgates of litigation.

The Centre on Monday contended before the Supreme Court that its interim order for 10 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in medical colleges would open the floodgates of litigation, as it was not envisaged at the time of holding the entrance examination.

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"Let us not carve out quota after the examination and result. The provision for 10 per cent reservation was not there in the brochure and handbook. If you (Court) will allow you will be flooded with litigations from the students," Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian told a Bench headed by Justice KG Balakrishnan.

The Centre maintained its stand that the interim order of 10 per cent reservation passed last Monday may run counter to the larger Bench verdict of 2005 by which 50 per cent of the PG medical seats in all government colleges were directed to be filled purely on the basis of merit through a common entrance test conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The ASG said the SC and ST candidates had not taken CET, as there was no reservation.

The Centre had favoured continuance of the procedure followed by college in the previous academic year, i.e. to fill 50 per cent all India quota solely on merit.

It said the pro-rata reservation could be applied to the states, which will fill the rest 50 per cent after carving out the all India quota.

The Bench, also comprising of Justice AR Lakshmanan and Justice DK Jain, said it will hear the matter again on May 5.

Some of the candidates contended that they were otherwise qualified but extension of 10 per cent reservation was coming in their way.