NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has ordered that 10 per cent of the State-wise Central quota be reserved for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidates in postgraduate medical admissions for the academic year 2006-2007.

The ongoing counselling should be held only for the rest of the seats, ruled a three-judge Bench of the Court comprising Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, Justice A. R. Lakshmanan and Justice S. H. Kapadia.

It passed the interim order on a writ petition filed by 14 doctors challenging the method of calculation of seats reserved for the SCs/STs.

The petitioners contended that as per the apex court verdict 50 per cent of the postgraduate medical seats were reserved under the all-India quota and 50 per cent under the State quota. The judgment made it clear that the 50 per cent all-India quota would be calculated after deducting the number of seats set apart for the reserved categories.

(For example, if there are 100 seats, the seats meant for the SCs/STs will be deducted and the remaining seats divided into the 50 per cent all-India quota and 50 per cent Central quota.)

Contrary to this judgment, the admission bulletin this year said the SC/ST quota would be calculated at the 50 per cent seats available after deducting the 50 per cent all-India quota. As a result, the number of seats reserved for SCs/STs came down, the petitioners said.

They sought a declaration that such a calculation was invalid and unconstitutional and urged provision of reservation in keeping with the Court judgment.

The Bench said that as per the earlier judgment the quota was increased to 50 per cent.

"Now the question is whether a reservation of 22.5 per cent is to be made in the State quota or in the Central quota. We direct that the 10 per cent, subject-wise Central quota be reserved subject to the final decision."

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