The eligibility criterion fixed by the Punjab government for the pre-medical entrance test (PMET) conducted by state university has been challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The high court on Wednesday issued notices to the state government and Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, for April 28 on a petition filed by 25 PMET aspirants studying in Punjab schools.
The petitioners have alleged that the state government, through a notification on March 30, had prescribed that to be eligible under the 85% state quota seats, the candidate should belong to Punjab. The condition had been included in the prospectus for BFUHS PMET-2015, which was a “vague terminology”, the petitioners have submitted.
They have submitted that a bona fide resident, according to a 1996 state government letter for the purpose of getting admission to educational institutes situated in Punjab, could also be one who is a citizen of India and whose parents give an affidavit that their wards had not obtained benefit of residence in any other state for the purpose of admission to educational institutions. Another category is of candidates who have studied for five years in Punjab or have studied in the state for two years just preceding the qualifying examination for admission, they have submitted, further stating that when the government authorities were approached, they were told that they were not eligible.
The order had put their studies and career in jeopardy as in order to be eligible and to get admission in MBBS/BDS courses, these students had complete classes 11 and 12 from schools situated in Punjab, the petitioners stated. Once the condition of being a bona fide resident of Punjab was already there, this new condition was totally vague, which had created confusion, the petitioners have stated, seeking quashing of the order.
{{/usCountry}}The order had put their studies and career in jeopardy as in order to be eligible and to get admission in MBBS/BDS courses, these students had complete classes 11 and 12 from schools situated in Punjab, the petitioners stated. Once the condition of being a bona fide resident of Punjab was already there, this new condition was totally vague, which had created confusion, the petitioners have stated, seeking quashing of the order.
{{/usCountry}}They have also sought directions to the state to allow the petitioners to fill application forms to appear in the PMET15, and allow them to attend counselling and further to admit them to MBBS/BDS courses if they get selected in accordance with merit, during the pendency of the present writ petition.
There are around 800 seats for MBBS and around 1,100 seats for BDS in government and private institutes in Punjab. Of the total seats in government institutes, 15% in MBBS/BDS courses are for all-India quota, which are to be filled by the central government through centralised counselling. In private institutes, 50% seats are of the government quota and the rest are management/minority quota seats.