Prepare all-India merit list to save time: HC to state

The judges questioned the rationale behind the state making domicile certificate mandatory for candidates seeking admission to medical and dental courses in private unaided medical colleges in Maharashtra

Although admissions to private medical colleges in the state are likely to be delayed further as the Bombay high court on Wednesday pushed the hearing on an ongoing case to Thursday, the court has made a move to ensure seats don’t lie vacant due to this hold up. The HC has directed the government to prepare an all-India merit list of candidates based on their performance in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Acting on the petition, the court has last week restrained the Directorate Medical Education and Research (DMER) from publishing the first merit list, which was scheduled to be released on September 3. (HT File Photo)

This is in addition to the select list of candidates only from Maharashtra which is already being prepared.

“We are as such racing against time,” said the division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice MS Sonak while ordering for the second merit list. The judges said preparation of the second merit list – which will include candidates from outside Maharashtra as well – would help save time, meet the September 30 deadline.

The bench further clarified that neither of the lists shall be published till the time it decides on the bunch of petitions before it. During the course of hearing on the petitions on Wednesday, the judges questioned the rationale behind the state making domicile certificate mandatory for candidates seeking admission to medical and dental courses in private unaided medical colleges in Maharashtra and thus indirectly prevent candidates outside Maharashtra from getting admission.

The court sought to know if it was reasonable on part of the state to insist on domicile certificate especially when in this academic year, students are being chosen for admission to private unaided medical and dental colleges in Maharashtra on the basis of a national competitive examination – NEET.

One of the petitions is filed by Mahatma Gandhi Vidya Mandir Trust, which runs a dental college at Nasik, challenging validity of a rule framed by the state government under provisions of the Maharashtra Unaided Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015.

The petitioning trust has contended that though the Supreme Court has recognised right of private unaided medical and dental institutions to hold their own common entrance test (CET) and common admission process (CAP), the rule takes away their right to hold the CET and also to conduct the CAP.

As of now, the trust has, however, restricted its plea to challenging the rule which prohibits admission of students from outside Maharashtra to private unaided medical colleges by making the requirement of domicile certificate mandatory.

Acting on the petition the court has last week restrained the Directorate Medical Education and Research (DMER) from publishing the first merit list, which was scheduled to be released on September 3. Now, the court has further deferred the publication of the merit list until the matter is decided finally, because of which admissions to private medical and dental colleges in Maharashtra are likely to be delayed further.