Why NO EWS Quota in Private Medical Colleges: MCI Issued Show Cause Notice by Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has been served a show cause notice by the Delhi High Court after a petition was filed with a single bench alleging "discrimination" by the apex medical regulator against private medical colleges, in implementing the EWS quota and the corresponding increase in medical seat for the academic year 2019-20

The Delhi High Court issued the show cause notice in response to the petition filed by the representatives of private medical colleges that accused the MCI of giving it nod for medical seats at the government medical while denying the same to private medical colleges.

Medical Dialogues Team had earlier reported earlier this year, on January 9, the Parliament had passed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill 2019 to help the Economically Weaker Sections of Indian society. The bill focused on providing 10 percent reservation in jobs and higher education to the general category poor.

Considering the bill, it was decided that all educational institutions including ones in the medical field, will offer the EWS quota in the General Category.

To facilitate the decision, the MCI had issued a circular to respective medical education departments, medical universities of the states running GMCs under its jurisdiction; directing them to furnish necessary information in the given format so that the EWS quota could be implemented at those concerned institutes.

Read Also: MCI moves to implement 10 percent EWS quota in medical colleges, Asks States to submit Seat Matrix

The MCI in May 2019 had offered that all medical institutes who implement 10 percent reservation would get an enhancement of 25 percent medical seats including private medical colleges. However, the petition with the HC alleged the MCI came up with guidelines of the scheme that stated that the scheme calling for the said 25% increase in seats would be only for the government medical colleges and NOT private medical colleges.

This made the private medical colleges to approach the HC.

The submission given by the counsel of private medical colleges stated that "After quota for EWS students was announced, the MCI made a provision that all those medical colleges providing 10% EWS quota shall get 25 percent extra seats over and above their sanctioned intake by the MCI. However, the MCI later pushed the private medical colleges out of the zone of consideration for extension of the benefit of the said scheme stating that it was meant only for government medical colleges, which is unjustified because private medical colleges are "religiously" adhering to government's reservation policy," quotes the TOI.

Taking note of the matter, the single bench of the Delhi HC issued a show cause notice to the MCI and asked to provide their response within 10 days.