10 percent EWS reservation in AIQ seats not permissible without SC approval: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court on Tuesday was informed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) that the Centre’s proposal of implementing 27 percent reservation for Other Backward Class (OBC) candidates in All India Quota (AIQ) seats of medical colleges in Tamil Nadu was unacceptable

Provision of 27 reservations in Medical seats for OBC students under the All India Quota (AIQ) may be permissible, Inclusion of 10 per cent vertical reservation for EWS would require approval of Supreme Court and to such extent, the reservation for EWS in centre’s July 29 notification has to be recognized as impermissible till such approval is obtained, the Madras High Court said,

The Centre on July 29 extended 27 % OBC and 10% EWS reservation to all medical seats of the central pool. Following this, the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts the medical exam NEET for undergraduate admissions, released a circular, mentioning the revised quotas.

The petitioner said OBC candidates must be eligible for 50 percent reservation as envisaged under the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993 (1993 Act) and as previously affirmed by the Court vide its earlier decision dated July 27, 2020.

The overall reservation in 15 percent under-graduate and 50 percent post-graduate All India Quota seats for medical colleges in the State has been indicated as follows:

(1)Scheduled Castes – 15%

(2) Scheduled Tribes – 7.5% (

3) OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) as per the Central OBC list – 27%

(4) EWS – as per Central Government norms – 10%

(5) PwD – 5% Horizontal Reservation as per NMC norms.