CHENNAI: Postgraduate medical admissions across India came to a grinding halt on Tuesday with the Madras high court ordering the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), New Delhi, and Tamil Nadu’s state selection committee to not allot seats to students both under the all-India quota and state quota until further orders.
Justice S Vaidyanathan was passing the orders on a batch of petitions which wanted the court to direct the DGHS to comply with Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations in admissions to PG medical courses and award due weightage marks for service rendered in remote/difficult areas.
‘Can go on with counselling, but must not allot seats’
The authorities can go on with counselling, but must not allot seats till further orders, said Justice S Vaidyanathan in his interim order.
Some of the petitions also wanted reservation of 50% of seats for service candidates under all-India quota too.
When the pleas came up for hearing, assistant solicitor-general Karthikeyan submitted that though first phase of counselling had been completed admissions would not be made till the court passed final orders.
The petitions filed by Dr C Sudhan and six others said they were in-service candidates in Tamil Nadu Medical Services, working as assistant surgeons in government medical facilities. They had appeared for NEET PG-2018 and secured more than 50% marks and were duly declared as eligible for admission to PG medical courses this year.
“The places we serve are notified as remote/difficult by the state government and hence we are entitled for additional weightage (incentive) marks as per Regulation 9 (IV) of PG Regulations 2000 under all India quota seats. But, authorities are proceeding to conduct counselling for admissions to PG courses without awarding such weightage marks for in-service candidates,” the petitioners said.
Claiming that the move was in violation of MCI regulations, they added that it would adversely affect the interests of the petitioners who were entitled to weightage marks for service rendered by them in remote/difficult areas for determination of merit in selection.
They further pointed out that even in admissions made during the last academic year, the authorities had failed to allot the mandated 50% seats to service candidates as required by the regulation.
Tamil Nadu has 1,648 PG medical seats in its 13 government medical colleges. Of this, 50% go to the all India quota for which counselling would be conducted by DGHS.The remaining 50% would go to the state quota filled by directorate of medical education through a seperate counselling.
Out of such 50% state quota seats, in-service candidates are demanding 50% reservation.
Justice S Vaidyanathan was passing the orders on a batch of petitions which wanted the court to direct the DGHS to comply with Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations in admissions to PG medical courses and award due weightage marks for service rendered in remote/difficult areas.
‘Can go on with counselling, but must not allot seats’
The authorities can go on with counselling, but must not allot seats till further orders, said Justice S Vaidyanathan in his interim order.
Some of the petitions also wanted reservation of 50% of seats for service candidates under all-India quota too.
When the pleas came up for hearing, assistant solicitor-general Karthikeyan submitted that though first phase of counselling had been completed admissions would not be made till the court passed final orders.
The petitions filed by Dr C Sudhan and six others said they were in-service candidates in Tamil Nadu Medical Services, working as assistant surgeons in government medical facilities. They had appeared for NEET PG-2018 and secured more than 50% marks and were duly declared as eligible for admission to PG medical courses this year.
“The places we serve are notified as remote/difficult by the state government and hence we are entitled for additional weightage (incentive) marks as per Regulation 9 (IV) of PG Regulations 2000 under all India quota seats. But, authorities are proceeding to conduct counselling for admissions to PG courses without awarding such weightage marks for in-service candidates,” the petitioners said.
Claiming that the move was in violation of MCI regulations, they added that it would adversely affect the interests of the petitioners who were entitled to weightage marks for service rendered by them in remote/difficult areas for determination of merit in selection.
They further pointed out that even in admissions made during the last academic year, the authorities had failed to allot the mandated 50% seats to service candidates as required by the regulation.
Tamil Nadu has 1,648 PG medical seats in its 13 government medical colleges. Of this, 50% go to the all India quota for which counselling would be conducted by DGHS.The remaining 50% would go to the state quota filled by directorate of medical education through a seperate counselling.
Out of such 50% state quota seats, in-service candidates are demanding 50% reservation.