The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a clutch of petitions seeking 50% quota for Other Backward Classes for medical seats given up by the Tamil Nadu government to the all-India quota for the 2020-’21 academic year, reported NDTV. The pleas included one by the Tamil Nadu government challenging the Centre’s decision not to grant 50% quota to OBCs.

In the last hearing held in the case, the National Medical Commission and the Centre had said it was not possible to extend OBC quota benefits this year because students had filled their application forms for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test in January-February itself. “They had also filled the category under which they were applying,” the counsel had said, according to The Hindu. “The NEET results would also show this category... The OBC reservation was not open then in January-February.”

The NEET results were declared on October 16.

Earlier in July, the Supreme Court had asked the Madras High Court to decide on merits of all petitions pending before it that seek the implementation of 50% reservation for Other Backward Classes in the all-India quota seats for medical and dental courses in Tamil Nadu.

On July 27, the Madras High Court had directed the Centre to set up a committee to decide on the provision of OBC reservation. The committee had to be formed within three months. The bench said that the committee should include representatives from the Centre, Tamil Nadu and the Medical Council of India. In August, the Tamil Nadu government and the other parties had challenged the Madras High Court’s decision to set up a committee to finalise the OBC reservation.