After Backlash, Maha Govt scraps 10 percent EWS Reservation in Private Medical Colleges

Mumbai: After facing backlash from medical aspirants and their parents, the Maharashtra Government has now scrapped the recently introduced EWS quota in private medical colleges.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that releasing the Information Brochure for NEET UG 2025, the Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell of Maharashtra recently indicated the implementation of a 10 per cent EWS reservation in private medical colleges.

However, this decision was strongly opposed by medical aspirants and their parents, who expressed concern regarding the implementation of the EWS quota without increasing the intake capacity to accommodate this reservation. Fearing that this new policy will drastically reduce the number of open seats, the aspirants and their parents wrote to the Maharashtra Medical Education Minister, Hasan Mushrif, requesting him to revoke the decision. They pointed out that Supreme Court rulings mention that seats can be reserved for the EWS category without affecting the seats of any other category.

However, after uproar, the State Government has now scrapped the EWS reservation in private medical colleges. Issuing a notice on 30.07.2025, the State CET Cell announced this decision of the Government.

Referring to the Medical Education & Drugs Department Letter dated 29/07/2025, the CET cell informed that the clause 9.4.1 and Paragraph 1 (iv) of Annexure - B of the Information Brochure of Preference System for admission to Health Science Courses in State Government/ Corporation/ Private & Minority Colleges NEET UG-2025 for academic year 2025-26 shall be read as under:-

"EWS reservation :10% seats of the available seats will be reserved for EWS candidates. For MBBS/BDS/BAMS/BHMS and BUMS courses, this reservation will be applicable only if central Government / respective council increased existing seats. For courses other than MBBS/ BDS/ BAMS/ BHMS and BUMS courses 10% EWS reservation will be applicable on available seats (refer Annuexure-T).

Welcoming the Government's decision, Brijesh Sutaria, a medical education activist based in Maharashtra, told Medical Dialogues, "It is now clear that the Government of Maharashtra will not implement EWS reservation in private medical colleges unless seat capacity is increased a move that aligns with the Central Government's original 2019 approach."

"This is a welcome decision. Without increasing seats, applying EWS quota would drastically reduce availability for open category students. This step protects merit-based access while preserving the intent of social justice. It is a balanced and constitutionally sound approach that other states should also consider," he added.

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