Centre moves SC on quota in appointment of AIIMS faculty

New Delhi: The Centre today moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its verdict by which it had held that there can be no reservation in appointment for faculty posts in speciality and super speciality courses in medical colleges including prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). [caption id=“attachment_1034121” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image of AIIMS. AFP image[/caption] The review petition filed said the July 18 verdict goes against the mandate of Mandal judgement and the apex court also ignored the detailed submissions made by it. It said though the arguments were advanced by its lawyer for two days, the verdict merely stated that the Centre has adopted the arguments of AIIMS. Ruling against reservation in speciality and super speciality courses, a five-judge constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir (since retired) had said it cannot take a contrary view expressed in 1992 by a nine-judge bench in the Indra Sawhney case, also known as the Mandal case, that there could be no compromise with merit at the super speciality stage. “We cannot take a different view, even though it has been suggested that such an observation (of Mandal verdict) was not binding, being obiter in nature. “We cannot ascribe to such a view since the very concept of reservation implies mediocrity and we will have to take note of the caution indicated in Indra Sawhney’s case,” the bench had said in an unanimous judgement. The court had pronounced its verdict on the plea of the Faculty Association of AIIMS against a Delhi High Court judgement. The Faculty Association had contended there cannot be any reservation for faculty posts to speciality and super speciality faculty courses in AIIMS. AIIMS and the Centre had, however, taken contrary stands and pleaded that the reservation be given to SC/STs and backward classes candidates in appointment to Assistant Professors and other senior posts in speciality and super speciality courses. PTI