Bhubaneswar: The recent enhancement of the reservation quota for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in medical and technical education in Odisha by the BJP-led state government has drawn flak from activists.
The youth-driven citizen forum, Reservation Reform Andolan, is mulling over taking the legal route to challenge the ‘arbitary’ increase in the number of seats to be kept reserved for SC and ST candidates in medical and technical education.
An activist from the platform, Neha Das, has taken to social media to seek petitioners from Odisha. According to the recommendation of the Policy Planning Body constituted under Section 4 of the Odisha Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act 2007, the State Government had increased the percentage of reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) from 12 % to 22.5 %; for Scheduled Castes (SC) from 8% to 16.25% and had introduced 11.25% reservation for students belonging to the Socially AND Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) in admissions to all state universities, its constituent colleges, affiliated institutions including it is and Polytechnic which are providing technical and professional education in Engineering, Technology, Computer Applications, Medicine, Surgery, Dental, Nursing, Pharmacy, Allied Health Sciences, Veterinary Science, Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Agriculture and allied sciences, architecture, planning, cinematic art and technology and any other course as may be notified by the state government from time to time leading to award of certificate, diploma or degree at Bachelors and Masters level1a. In line with the government’s decision, the order mentioning the above stated facts was issued on June 2, earlier this year, by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department.
“Hi Odisha NEET students/Other govt exam applicants. We are planning to legally intervene in Odisha reservation case as well. For that, we need the recent govt orders which notified of reservation increase. Can someone provide them? Also, we would need petitioners from Odisha. Interested candidates, please reply,” activist Neha Das, wrote on X. Social media users reacted to her post with many supporting it.
Hi Odisha NEET students/Other govt exam applicants.
We are planning to legally intervene in Odisha reservation case as well.
For that, we need the recent govt orders which notified of reservation increase.
Can someone provide them?
Also, we would need petitioners from Odisha.…
— Dr. Neha Das (@neha_laldas) September 19, 2026
“Fit case to undergoes judicial scrutiny. No data in hand since last 15 years. Just like that increase the seats randomly,” one of the users responded.
Reservation Reform Andolan is a youth-led civic platform based in Uttarakhand. According to its website, the platform promotes respectful, evidence-led discussion about equal opportunity, merit, economic disadvantage, education, and public-policy reform.
However, the platform does not support hatred, harassment, threats, humiliation, discrimination, or collective blame against any caste, community, religion, gender, region, or individual.
Recently, the Allahabad high court’s Lucknow bench had stayed the implementation of nearly 91% reservation for NEET-UG admissions to MBBS courses in four govt medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh after petitioners moved court.
