Finish counselling for PG medical student admissions by June 14, says SC

The court directed the state to issue advertisements in local newspapers for counselling for admission in the current academic year and specify it would be the “final round of counselling.”

Irked by the state for not conducting a counselling session for post graduate medical and dental admissions after 10% quota for economically weaker section (EWS) was stayed, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered the government to complete the final round of counselling by June 14.

The bench rued the fact that every year students faced stress while seeking admission to various courses. (HT File Photo/Representative Image)

A vacation bench of justices Indu Malhotra and MR Shah was hearing a plea by some medical students seeking a fresh round of counselling after the merit list was redrawn after the scrapping of EWS quota.

“We do not want to pass any order which will affect other students. You [state] are the author of all these problems. It is very improper,” the bench told the Maharashtra government lawyer.

“You cannot throw meritorious students out of the window like this. How can you do it without any fresh counseling,” asked the bench.

The court directed the state to issue advertisements in local newspapers for counselling for admission in the current academic year and specify it would be the “final round of counselling.”

Admissions would be given on the basis of merit, the court reiterated.

No other court would entertain any petition or application with regard to admission for the current academic year, the top court clarified, adding no student would be permitted to change the preference given earlier in the admission form.

The bench rued the fact that every year students faced stress while seeking admission to various courses.

The court took note of the “plight of students” due to uncertainty over admissions to post graduate medical and dental courses in 2019-20.

The judges said: “Our anxiety is for students. This happens every year and there is uncertainty in the mind of students with regard to admissions in medical or other courses. Why don’t you streamline the entire education system? Why this tension and stress? Why [the need for] all these litigations?”