SC vacates order on quota in PG medical courses

The Supreme Court today vacated its interim order providing for 10 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the all-India quota for post-graduate medical courses.

A Bench headed by Justice KG Balakrishnan passed the order after the Centre gave an assurance that it would provide reservation to SC/ST candidates in the all-India quota from next year.

Meanwhile, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav today sought reservation for "upper castes" or non-OBCs while defending the proposal for OBC quotas in education.

Speaking after a conference of the railway general managers here, he said, "I have no objection to 5 to 10 per cent reservation for upper castes in education by amending the Constitution but reservation for OBCs has been recommended by the Mandal Commission. It has to be implemented.''

The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief is the second leader after BSP leader Mayawati to favour reservation for non-SCs and non-OBCs.

On proposal for reservation to backward classes, he said the Mandal Commission was clear that there should be reservation for OBCs.