Centre not inclined for reservations in AIIMS

New Delhi, Apr 28: The Central government today pleaded before the Supreme Court that it is not inclined to apply reservation in the All India quota for admission to the Post graduate courses in medical sciences in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) during the current academic session 2006-2007.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium appearing for the Centre pleaded before a bench headed by Mr Justice K G Balakrishnan that yesterday the Centre held a meeting with all the states to find a solution to the controversy regarding quota for reserved category students and it would take another couple of months to frame a uniform reservation policy for admissions. Other judges on the bench were Mr. Justice A R Lakshmanan and Mr Justice D K Jain.

Senior counsel K K Venugopal, appearing for the students entitled for admission on the basis of reservation policy, however pleaded that SC/ST category students were entitled to 22.5 per cent quota in admissions. Second counselling for PG courses is on.

Counsel for Delhi University, however, pleaded that reservation could not go beyond 50 per cent of total seats and that 10 per cent seats reserved by the government as per the orders of Supreme Court should be from the All India Quota.

The court was also informed that states were Implementing reservation policy treating their 50 per cent quota as 100 per cent as per their own reservation policy. Some states like Tamil Nadu had 68 per cent reservation while some states have no reservation at all.

The arguments remained inconclusive and will continue on Monday.

Announcement of reservation in admissions has sparked off agitation by medical science students in Delhi and Chandigarh and some students were injured when police used force to disperse them.

The apex court has directed the union health ministry to keep 10 per cent seats in each subject in post graduate courses of medical sciences till further orders.

The Centre, however, assured the court that reservation policy in relation to admission to PG courses in medical sciences may be prepared and implemented from the next academic session.

UNI

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