New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the Centre to go ahead with the second round of counselling in the admissions to medical and dental courses through Neet based marks without providing for OBCs reservation in the 15 per cent all India quota.

A bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and L. Nageswara Rao stayed an interim order of the Bombay high court dated July 16 suspending the counselling till the issue of quota for OBCs is decided.  

Acting on a writ petition from the Akhil Bhartiya OBC Mahasangh seeking 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in the 15 per cent all India quota for admission to medical and dental courses, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court had stayed the counselling process on July 16, resulting in suspension of the admission process.

The Centre through additional solicitor-general Maninder Singh and counsel R. Balasubramanian submitted that the apex court on July 20 had already stayed an order of the Madras high court suspending the second round of counselling. But due to the Bombay HC’s order, the entire second round of counselling is held up leading to serious delay in admission process.