A two judges’ bench of the Supreme Court presided by Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli, on Friday, issued notices to the MP State in a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by a number of Government doctors and medical officers from the State who have challenged the de-reservation of 30 per cent seats earmarked for them in PG Medical Courses. The SLPs were filed against the judgement of the division bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had affirmed the de-reservation of 30 per cent quota seats after conclusion of second round of counselling, holding the same to be in tune with existing Rules 4 and 14 of the Medical Admission Rules 2018 framed by the State. The SC, however, declined to grant interim relief for the current year, but agreed to examine the Constitutional question of law for the ensuing academic year 2022-23, in view of the gravity of the problems pointed out by the appellant doctors. Appellant Dr Shaline Agrawal and others were represented through Advocates Siddharth R Gupta, Abhikalp P Singh and Shivam Baghel, wherein the State has been directed to respond in four weeks.

Petitioners are all In-service doctors who had served in the remote, rural, tribal and interior villages of the State for the prescribed period of three years and above and were claiming the benefit of 30 per cent reserved quota in the PG Medical Courses provided by the State of MP for such doctors. The State in the counselling and admission process conducted for the academic Year 2021-22 had dereserved all these in-service quota seats and allotted them to open/direct category candidates, which was assailed by all of them before the High Court on the primary ground that there is no such provision in the Parent Rules for de-reservation/conversion of seats from In-service quota to Non-