NEET deadlock: Furious parents demand clarity on private colleges

MUMBAI: While a petition in the Bombay high court (HC) has imposed a stay on admissions to private medical and dental colleges, students whose names have already

MUMBAI: While a petition in the Bombay high court (HC) has imposed a stay on admissions to private medical and dental colleges, students whose names have already appeared in the provisional merit lists of deemed institutes fear that they might have to repeat the process. The state has once again dragged these institutes to the Supreme Court (SC).

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“We are clinging our hopes to the seats allotted in deemed institutes, but with this new (HC) case, the court might ask the entire process to be redone. How is this fair to us?” asked the parent of a student. Many parents are now worried that the state might not manage to stick to the September 30 deadline set by the SC to complete medical admissions. “This has been pure torture on our children since April this year. There’s still no clarity,” added the mother.

Last week, the HC stayed admissions to private medical and dental institutes in the state after a petition filed by a Nashikbased private dental institute sought the right to admit only on the basis of merit, and not domicile. The Directorate Medical Education & Research (DMER) rules specify that 85% of the seats are supposed to be kept aside for state students . As per the interim order by HC on Wednesday, the DMER has now invited applications and preference forms from students outside the state. “We are not sure if students will have to reapply for admissions to private institutes,” said a student. To be safe, many students have decided to redo the process for private institutes in the state. The hearing in the HC was adjourned till September 14. A group of parents on Thursday met Raj Thackeray on the issue on Thursday.