SC to hear application on reservation of seats on Jan 12

New Delhi, Jan 9 (UNI) The Supreme Court will hear on January 12 the application of the Union Government seeking permission to implement the decision to provide 22.5 per cent seats for SC/STs in the all India quota for Post Graduate(PG) medical science courses admission for the academic session of 2007-2008.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justices C K Thakker and R V Raveendran fixed the date after counsel for the government mentioned the matter before the court saying that the entrance test examinations are due to start on January 14 this year and hence the matter requires urgent hearing.

Earlier Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium had given three options before the court on May 5, 2006 which were under the consideration of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The All India Enterance test is conducted by AIIMS .

The court was informed that the government has decided to implement Option No 1, which is the most equitable. Under the Option 1, 15 per cent seats for SCs and 7.5 per cent seats for STs would be reserved in the All India Quota Post Graduate seats from the academic year 2007-2008 onwards .

The court had earlier directed the government to place before it the admission scheme giving details of the reservation of seats .

Earlier Delhi University had calculated the reservation of seats for SC/STs from the 50 per cent of PG seats remaining after deduction of 50 per cent seats set apart for All India Entrance Examination or admission to PG courses in various government medical colleges.

The petitioner has however prayed for directions to the respondents to calculate the number of seats reserved for SC/STs on the basis of total number of PG seats .

50 per cent seats are for All India Quota while remaining 50 per cent are reserved for state quota and every state is free to provide reservetion according to the state reservation policy keeping in mind that the outer limit for reservation is 50 per cent.

UNI