Hold Fresh Admission Counselling for Med Students: SC to Maha Govt

The court has also directed that the entire process of counselling be completed by 14 June.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 4 June, directed the Maharashtra government to hold a fresh round of counselling for students seeking admission to postgraduate courses in medical and dental colleges.

The court directed that the entire process be completed by 14 June and admissions be given on the basis of merit, news agency PTI reported.

Reportedly, a Vacation Bench of Justices Indu Malhotra and MR Shah directed the state to issue advertisements in local newspapers having wide publication regarding counselling for admission in the current academic year and to also specify that it would be the "final round of counselling".

The bench also directed that no further petition and application with regard to admission in PG medical courses in the state for the current academic year would be entertained by any other court, PTI reported.

The apex court added that no student would be permitted to change preferences given in the earlier admission form.

According to reports, the Vacation Bench passed the order because of pleas filed by some medical students seeking fresh counselling after the merit list was re-drawn. They approached the top court following its order staying the state's notification to grant 10 percent quota to EWS category students in PG medical and dental courses for the current academic year.

No Fresh Counselling Done After 10% EWS Quota Stayed

The court questioned the state about not conducting any counselling after the apex court's order stayed the notification to grant 10 percent reservation in the admissions for 2019-20 to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in PG medical and dental courses.

Some of the petitioners also said that after the merit list was re-drawn, no fresh counselling had been conducted, PTI reported.

According to reports, advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar, appearing for the state, told the bench that after the apex court order staying the 10 percent quota for EWS, the merit list was re-shuffled but no fresh counselling had been done.

The court asked how long the counselling would take, pointing out that it could be done online as well. Responding to points raised by the counsel appearing for the CET cell, the bench said, “Counselling was cancelled. It has to be re-done. Orders of the Supreme Court have to be complied with.”

The apex court had earlier threatened contempt proceedings against Maharashtra government officials for "virtually overriding" its order staying 10 percent quota to students of EWS in admissions to PG medical and dental courses in 2019-20, PTI reported.

On 30 May, the SC had said that 10 percent EWS quota cannot be applied to PG medical courses in Maharashtra for the academic year 2019-20 as the admission processes started long before the provision came into force.

A Vacation Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose had said that 10 percent EWS quota cannot be granted at the cost of others unless additional seats are created by the Medical Council of India.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)