SC fiat on post-graduate medical admissions

IANS News

SC fiat on post-graduate medical admissions:-
New Delhi April 11,
2005 7:11:42 PM IST

New Delhi, April 11 : Seats reserved in post-graduate medical colleges for students who clear an all-India entrance examination will have to remain vacant if there aren't enough candidates, the Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Judges Y.K. Sabharwal and D.M. Dharmadhikari passed the interim order to ensure that the seats under the 50 percent all India quota did not revert to the states under any circumstances.

The bench made it clear that the states could not fill the 279 seats left vacant of the 2,700 under the all-India quota.

The order came on a petition by a candidate alleging that some all-India quota seats that could not be filled at the end of the counselling conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) were being reverted to the states.

The bench noted that of the 100,000 candidates who took the entrance test for 2,700 seats under the all-India quota, 3,376 were called for counselling.

In spite of this, 279 seats remained vacant since there were no takers for certain disciplines like anatomy and physiology.

The DGHS informed the court that following these vacancies, a communication was sent to the states permitting them to fill the vacancies themselves.

The bench also asked the centre and the Medical Council of India to suggest ways to ensure that all vacancies under the all-India quota were filled.

(IANS)
--------
By PTI

Asking authorities to evolve a strategy to maximise utilisation of the 50 per cent all India quota seats in post-graduate medical courses, the Supreme
Court Monday warned the states to strictly restrict admission of students to their quota seats only.

A bench comprising Justice YK Sabharwal and Justice DM Dharmadhikari asked the Director General of Health Services and Medical Council of India to evolve a strategy to maximise the utilisation of the all India quota seats.

It was alleged by a petition filed by a student Amit Gupta that the states were taking advantage of the reversion of All India Quota seats and admitting students in excess of the 50 per cent State quota in Government medical colleges.

The bench, which asking the DGHS and MCI to give its suggestions on Friday, said the interim order of the Court restraining the States from using the left over seats from the All India Quota would continue till further orders.

The Court was informed by DGHS that approximately one lakh students appeared for the test conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for the 2700 seats under the all India quota.

When it was said that only 3376 candidates were called for counselling and that 239 seats remained vacant, the Bench asked the authorities to consider whether they could broad-base their consideration by calling more students for the counselling instead of only 3376.

The court felt that it was in the interest of everybody to see that the all India quota seats do not revert to the States and also that no seat went waste.