Chennai, Jul 27 (IANS): The Madras High Court on Monday ordered the central government to set up a committee within 3 months to decide on the issue of 50 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in admissions to medical courses under the all-India quota.

Disposing of a batch of petitions filed by the ruling AIADMK, DMK, PMK and others to demand 50 per cent reservation for the OBCs in the medical college seats surrendered to the all-India quota, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice A.P. Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said the Centre can also pass a law on the matter.

The court said the committee should have representatives from the central and Tamil Nadu governments and the Medical Council of India (MCI).

"The High Court rejected the contentions of the MCI and the Centre. The court did not agree that only the Supreme Court can decide on the issue," P.Wilson, Senior Advocate and DMK's Rajya Sabha member, told IANS.

"The High Court also did not agree that reservation will dilute the merit since the merit list is prepared first and reservation is applied only later," Wilson said.

According to him, the proposed committee will have representatives from the Health Ministry, MCI and the Tamil Nadu Health Department. "This will have an impact other states as well," Wilson added.

Earlier, the Supreme Court declining to hear the pleas of various political parties and asked them approach the High Court on the matter.

The central government had refused to grant 50 per cent reservation for OBCs as per the Tamil Nadu law in medical seats for 2020-21.

During the hearing, the Centre told the court that the state can follow its own law with regard to reservation in admissions, but it cannot exceed 50 per cent of the total seats.

On their part, the petitioner parties said that the Centre can decide on the subject only when a state government has not enacted a law on reservation. Only the state government has the power to decide on the reservation, it was contended.