PG medical admissions: General category students mull moving court against quota

The state decided to issue an ordinance after the Supreme Court struck down the quota for this year, saying that the admission process for the courses had already started when the quota was announced.

A day after the state government agreed to issue an ordinance to uphold the admissions of 253 post graduate medical and dental students in the state who sought admissions under the socially and economically backward classes (SEBC) Act, students aiming for seats in the open category are stuck in a rut. While many are still hoping the state government will ensure that meritorious students from the open category do not lose out on seats due to quotas, others are gearing up to seek judicial help once the ordinance is signed and approved by the governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

Following the government’s decision to issue an ordinance, medical students belonging to open category held a protest at Carter Road, Bandra, on Saturday. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

The state decided to issue an ordinance after the Supreme Court struck down the quota for this year, saying that the admission process for the courses had already started when the quota was announced.

“We were relieved when the Supreme Court struck down the SEBC quota in PG admissions this year. But with the new ordinance in place, we are once again stuck with less than 8% seats in the open category, leaving us with very few options,” said Akruti Pandya, one of the students.

On Saturday, many hopeful students also tried to contact the governor, with the hope of convincing him to not pass the ordinance.

Parents and students from the open category have already decided to challenge the new ordinance, once it is made public. “Based on what the ordinance exactly says, we will decide whether we should approach the Bombay high court or the Supreme Court directly,” said a parent.

Anticipating petitions against the decision, the state will file a caveat in the Bombay high court and the Aurangabad and Nagpur benches as well as the Supreme Court, state revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said on Friday. The state has also sought to extend the deadline to complete the admission process till May 31, from the earlier May 25.