New Delhi : The Centre has sought the Supreme Court's approval for providing 22.5 per cent reservation to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes under the all-India quota in postgraduate admissions to government medical colleges in 2007-08.

For 2006-2007, the Centre did not provide for SC/ST reservation under the 50 per cent all-India quota, as a 2005 apex court judgment said the 50 per cent all-India quota should be exclusive of reservation.

As a result, reservation was provided only under the 50 per cent State quota.

Constitutional reservation

However, in May 2006 the court clarified that its judgment did not take away the constitutional reservation. At that time, the Centre assured the court that it was conscious of its constitutional obligations to provide reservation for the SC/ST under the all-India quota and it would do so the next year. Accordingly, it filed a petition on Tuesday.

On a mention made by Central Government counsel before a Bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, the matter was listed for January 12.

The Centre said the all-India entrance examination was scheduled for January 14 and results would be declared in the middle of February. Counselling would be held by the Directorate-General of Health Services on receipt of the merit list from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here, which is conducting the examination.

The Centre said the Government of India decided to provide 15 per cent reservation to the SCs and 7.5 per cent to the STs under the 50 per cent all-India quota.

This would be beneficial to not only the SCs/STs of the States concerned but also those from other parts of the country.

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