Parents may go to SC over admission process in state

MUMBAI: A day after the Bombay high court allowed deemed medical and dental universities in Maharashtra to conduct their own admission processes, parents of MBBS

MUMBAI: A day after the Bombay high court allowed deemed medical and dental universities in Maharashtra to conduct their own admission processes, parents of MBBS and BDS aspirants are planning to take the institutions back to court.

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A group of parents said they are planning to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the order. “The SC needs to be made aware of problems young children face in the name of policy and rules. While the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was introduced to bring about uniformity in medical admissions, our children are running from pillar to post for admissions,” said Ruiee Kapoor, a parent. She said parents are taking the help of a retired SC judge to put together their case papers and should manage to file their petition on Thursday. “The SC should know that what the state government is terming as teething problems are actually ruining lives of our children.”

While the SC order on NEET made it clear admissions to seats in all government, private and deemed institutes will be conducted only on the basis of this one examination, various state governments had sought relief for this year.

Finally an ordinance was passed by the President of India in on May 24, allowing states to conduct admissions to seats in government institutes on the basis of the Common Entrance Test (CET), whereas private and deemed institutes were asked to follow merit lists based on NEET scores only. This week, based on a writ petition filed by a few deemed institutes in the state, SC needs to be made aware of problems children face in the name of policy and rules. While NEET was to bring about uniformity in admissions, our children are running from pillar to post. RUIEE KAPOOR, a parent the Bombay HC put a stay on the state’s resolution to conduct common admissions for both private and deemed institutes.

Many parents are also worried about top-scorers who already have admission to government seats in the state but might opt for a seat in private institutes closer home, taking away chances of students without seats. “We will fight till our last breath and make sure not just our children, but future batches don’t suffer either,” said another parent.

Authorities at the Directorate of Medical Education & Research told HT they may fight for common medical admissions in 2017. Deemed universities in their petition at the Bombay HC this week sought relief from a common process, stating they fall under the purview of central government rules, not the state’s.

“We will conduct admissions only on the basis of NEET , but by following state rules we are forced to give up on our deemed status, which we refuse to compromise on. Deemed institutes across the country are conducting separate admissions,” said a senior trustee of a Pune institute.