Domicile quota: Apex Court rejects plea seeking preference to students from Maharashtra

The petition was filed on July 18 after the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court relaxed the domicile regulation norm for medical and dental aspirants in Maharashtra

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the writ petition filed by medical aspirants from Maharashtra and their parents earlier this week.

The Apex Court directed the petitioners to file a review petition before the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court.(HT File)

The petition was filed on July 18 after the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court relaxed the domicile regulation for medical and dental aspirants in the state. The Apex Court directed the petitioners to file a review petition before the Aurangabad bench.

“This is a let down for students from Maharashtra, who were hoping for some relief from the Apex Court. Now we have little time to file a review petition because the first list will be released by the state on July 25,” said one of the parents.

HT had reported that relaxation of the domicile rule had led to almost one in every two students applying for state quota in medical and dental seats were from outside Maharashtra.

“Many students come to Mumbai to prepare for medical entrance and appear for Class 12 exams in Maharashtra after clearing Class 10 exams in their respective states. How can they be given the same advantage that is meant for children with state domicile?” asked Ruiee Kapoor, a parent.

Deadline extended

The DMER has extended the deadline for filling admissions forms by one day to give students who chose Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences, Palghar, as one of their preferred institutes. Students can now make changes to their forms and resubmit them on Saturday by 5pm.

“The institute is yet get an approval from the Shikshan Shulka Samiti for its fee structure. Also, its infrastructure in incomplete,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, DMER.

The case

On July 7, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court relaxed domicile norms for medical and dental aspirants in the state. Originally, those who had cleared Class 10 and 12 from state or had a domicile certificate were eligible for state quota seats. But the compulsion on clearing Class 10 from Maharashtra was after the court order. A group of parents also met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking his intervention. “Those who have cleared Class 12 from Maharashtra, even without class X from the state, will be eligible for state quota seats from now,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, director of DMER.