GMCH postgrad admissions again reach high court
There are 125 PG seats at the institute, which are divided into All India Quota (63 seats) and UT Chandigarh Pool (62 seats).
Controversy over admissions to postgraduate (PG) courses at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, refuses to die down.
Acting on the plea of three students, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday put the hospital on notice for Thursday on allegations that it reverted 17 seats from the all-India quota to the students of institute against the court order.
“The seats should have gone to the open category under state quota,” said advocate Rahul Sharma, who is representing the three students. “The institute has been asked to respond by 10am.”
The institute’s decision has resulted in 48 seats being reserved for GMCH students while only 31 seats can be reserved, the court was told.
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In an earlier order, the high court had set aside the 100% institutional quota and allowed the institute to have only 50% seats under it.
Jasmeet Singh, mother of one of the applicants, said: “The experience has not been pleasant. An institute as esteem as the GMCH should have put things in order. Either rules are not in place or they have been misinterpreted. It is pathetic, how can they discriminate with students?”
There are 125 PG seats at the institute, which are divided into All India Quota (63 seats) and UT Chandigarh Pool (62 seats). Against all-India quota seats, students are admitted as per all India ranking in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). For the 62 seats (50 percent) students can be admitted from the institute and on remaining seats those belonging to city but who have done their MBBS from outside Chandigarh are eligible.
According to sources, all applications were processed on May 30. The students moved court as they did not get seats in their choice of department with the GMCH allotting these to students who graduated from the institute.
Health ministry official fined for ‘unjust’ stand
The high court has imposed ₹25,000 fine on a health ministry official for taking an “unjust” stand on the GMCH admissions controversy. The amount is to be recovered from Dr B Srinivas, personally.
The court observed that the official seems to have rather unjustifiably stuck to its stand based upon a judgment clarified subsequently by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court in 2017 had passed an order barring MBBS course aspirants to participate in counsellings after getting admission in a college. However, it had later clarified that the order was passed in respect of MBBS admissions and not for PG courses.
After getting admission in a Pune college, the PG course aspirants had applied in the GMCH, but their applications were rejected, against which they moved court. When court put the Centre on notice, the health ministry had insisted that they were not eligible in view of the SC order. Even after the HC referred to the apex court’s clarification, the ministry had stuck to its stand, which prompted the court to fine the officer who had filed this affidavit.
