A petition against the centre and the Medical Counselling Committee’s notification to provide 27 per cent reservation to OBC and 10 per cent to EWS students in all India quota medical seats can be the reason for the delay in the NEET UG counselling process this year.
The MCC on December 10 informed undergraduate medical aspirants that the matter is pending in the Supreme Court of India and the next hearing will be on January 6. This could mean that NEET counselling 2021 will begin after the top court’s judgment on the case.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July informed that the centre has decided to extend 27 per cent OBC and 10 per cent EWS reservation to all medical seats that come under the central pool. The matter was challenged in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had in a previous hearing questioned the rationale behind fixing Rs 8 lakh as annual income criteria for the EWS category and sought the centre's response.
Although the MCC does not categorically state why NEET UG counseling has been delayed, the notification suggests that the pending Supreme Court case could be the reason for the delay. Issued with approval of competent authority,” reads the MCC notification.