Summary
To enable urgent NEET counselling for 2021–2022, the Court issued operative directions implementing 27 per cent OBC reservation and 10 per cent EWS reservation in All India Quota seats. It upheld OBC reservation with reasons to follow. For the current admission year, EWS identification would use the existing 2019 Office Memorandum criteria to avoid dislocating admissions. Validity of the Pandey Committee’s EWS criteria for future operation remained subject to final adjudication. The order supplied directions rather than the promised detailed reasons.
Issues
- What reservation and EWS identification criteria should govern urgent NEET-UG and NEET-PG counselling for 2021–2022 pending further reasons and adjudication.
Held
- Validity of OBC reservation in NEET-PG and NEET-UG All India Quota seats was upheld, with reasons expressly reserved to follow. Counselling was to give effect to the 29 July 2021 notice, including 27 per cent OBC and 10 per cent EWS reservation. (¶¶ 6, 7(ii), 8)
- For candidates who appeared in the 2021 examinations, the existing EWS criteria under the 2019 Office Memorandum were to apply during the 2021–2022 admission process so that admissions would not be dislocated. This immediate arrangement did not finally uphold the future EWS criteria. (¶¶ 7(i), 7(iii)-7(iv))
- The petitions remained pending, with final hearing on the validity of the Pandey Committee’s EWS criteria directed for the third week of March 2022. Detailed reasons were to follow. (¶¶ 7(iv)-7(v), 8)
Result
Operative directions issued for 2021–2022 counselling; OBC reservation upheld with reasons to follow; existing EWS criteria applied for that admission year, with future validity left pending.