Students with AIQ seats protest, want to appear for state counselling

As a service candidate, however, he claims that he would lose all service benefits and not receive his salary, if he continues under the AIQ. Therefore, he wants to be allowed to sit for the state counselling under the general round which began in Chennai on Sunday. 

Along with 21 others, he had filed a petition at the Madras High Court and approached the Selection Committee demanding to be allowed for the counselling. 

“I ranked 639 under the state quota and 4317 under the AIQ. If I take up the AIQ, I will lose my salary and service benefits and receive only a stipend. That’s why I want to be a part of the state counselling,” said Kumar. 

The counselling was held at the Government Omandurar Multi Super Speciality Medical College and Hospital on Sunday. 

While the first round of counselling under the All India Quota is usually followed by the first round of the state counselling, this year, due to cases in the high court, the state counselling was delayed, forcing students to depend on the AIQ counselling. “If the first round of the state counselling was held right after the same under the AIQ, such problems would not arise. 

We had no option but to accept the seats under AIQ,” said Dr Malini K, another petitioner. Esther Rani, a Tamil Nadu student, was placed in Andhra Pradesh under the AIQ. But, she wants to study in Tamil Nadu. 

“I got a seat for MS in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, while Manoj got a seat for MD in General Medicine. Our names had featured in the merit list for the state that had been uploaded on the website tnhealth.org. However, when we arrived for counselling in the morning, we learnt that our names were not on the final list,” said Esther. 

The students gathered in protest at the Counselling centre on Sunday. 

“We are merely following orders. We are not permitted to allow any student to sit for counselling without their original certificates. We have told the students that we will allow them to attend the counselling if they bring their original certificates,” said Dr G Selvarajan, secretary of the Selection Committee.