He said necessary statistics were not available and none of the committees appointed by the government or parliamentary committees had relevant data to support it. The petitioner also submitted that non-exclusion of the "creamy layer" from the purview of OBC reservation was contrary to the apex court judgment in the Mandal case.

The NGO contended that "notifying and implementing the Act is highly uncalled for and unwarranted because during the ongoing proceedings, it was agreed and understood that without the leave of the court, the Centre would not take any step tos implement their desire to provide reservation for the OBCs". SC/ST slice in medical schools The Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe candidates will have 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent seats respectively reserved in their favour in post-graduate medical courses under the Central Quota from the academic year 2007-08.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the confusion over reservation for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidates in post-graduate medical courses under the central quota by allowing the Centre's plea in this regard.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan asked the health ministry to implement the SC/ST reservation as provided in the Constitution after none of the parties opposed the Centre's application seeking permission to give effect to it from the coming academic session.

The Centre had given an undertaking to the court last year during the hearing of a PIL that it would implement the 22.5 per cent reservation for SC/ST students under the central quota from the academic year 2007-08.