PG medical admissions in Maha: SC stays process till April 27
Aspirants had moved court demanding third round for All India Quota seats
A day after the state medical education department allowed private medical colleges to charge four times the regular fees for all post-graduate (PG) seats under management quota, the Supreme Court (SC) stayed PG admissions. The stay was ordered after a group of medical aspirants moved court demanding for a third common admission round of All India Quota (AIQ) seats before handing over vacant seats from the quota to respective states.
As per original admissions schedule, AIQ seats that remain vacant after two rounds of admissions conducted by the Central government were supposed to be surrendered to respective state DMERs by April 23.
“The SC has ordered a stay till April 27. In the meantime, we will release a schedule for re-admissions to seats in private medical institutes. Even those students, who have already confirmed admissions and still want to reapply as per new preferences can participate in this round,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).
On Monday, the medical education department allowed all private medical institutes in Maharashtra to charge four and five times the regular fees for management and NRI quota seats. The institutes had demanded that they be allowed to charge five times the fees for both the quotas.
“We will fight for the right to charge five times for all non-merit seats in the next academic year. For now, we will go by the current rules,” said PA Inamdar, representative of the Association of Private Medical Institutes in Maharashtra.
While the DMER is working on a new admissions schedule, PG medical aspirants and their parents are unhappy with the state’s decision to give into the demands of private medical institutes.
“What is the use of a Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) if the state plans to give into the arm-twisting techniques of these private institutes? Parents will end up shelling out lakhs of rupees more than what they have already paid. There seems to be no end to the rising fees,” said a parent. She added that some parents are also contemplating to move court against the state’s decision.