SC tells Maha to conduct final round of counselling for PG medical, dental admissions

The Supreme Court Tuesday directed Maharashtra to conduct the final round of counselling for admissions to post graduate medical and dental courses in the state for the academic year 2019-20 and complete the process before June 14.

A vacation bench comprising Justices Indu Malhotra and M R Shah passed the order on pleas filed by some medical students seeking fresh round of counselling after re-drawing of the merit list for admissions to PG medical and dental courses for 2019-20.

The students approached the top court after the apex court stayed the state government's decision to grant 10 per cent quota to students of economically weaker sections in PG medical and dental courses for the current academic year.

The bench also directed that no further petition or application with regard to PG medical and dental admissions in Maharashtra for the present academic year will be entertained by any other court.

One of the fresh pleas filed by Sagar Sarda has said that "new seat matrix", "fresh choice filing of medical streams" and "fresh round of counselling for admissions" should be allowed in view of the fact that the apex court has stayed the 10 per cent quota to students of economically weaker sections (EWS) in courses for the current academic year.

Another fresh plea was filed by some other medical students seeking restoration of 10 per cent EWS quota in admissions in the current academic session.

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

It had also extended till June 4 the deadline for concluding the admission process, asking the Maharashtra government to refresh the merit list after excluding the EWS category students.

The top court had taken strong note of a clause of the notice issued by the state government's Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell after it had passed the earlier order.

The clause reads: "The admissions of all candidates (except those admitted under EWS Category) from the previous admission process are not disturbed."

The state government had said there was little time left as the last date of counselling for admissions was ending on May 31 and therefore, it was not possible for the government to reshuffle the entire admission list.

The admissions for the 2019-20 academic year were to close on Friday.

The top court had said the balance between competing claims of parties involved will be upset if the reserved category students are allowed to take admissions in PG Medical course and at later stage their admissions were found to be untenable.

The court's order had come on a plea of Rajat Rajendra Agrawal and two others, all students from General Category claiming that unless additional seats are created, the ten per cent EWS quota will eat into their share of seats.

The students have challenged two circulars of the Maharashtra government by which 10 per cent EWS quota was enforced in PG medical and dental courses of the state.