Ensure students don’t block seats in private med colleges: HC to state

The Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, asked the state government what it proposed to do to ensure seats in private medical colleges were not blocked in the name of students already admitted in government medical colleges. These seats ended up being filled through management quotas of the private colleges.

The Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, asked the state government what it proposed to do to ensure seats in private medical colleges were not blocked in the name of students already admitted in government medical colleges. These seats ended up being filled through management quotas of the private colleges.

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“There must be some provision prohibiting a student from holding more than one seat,” observed the bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice RP Sondurbaldota while hearing a petition filed by Satara resident Priyanka Bahane, who could not get admission to the BDS course.

The court expressed anxiety after Ulhas Kerkar, counsel for the petitioner, pointed out a lack of co-ordination between the Association of Private Unaided Medical Colleges and government authorities despite the constitution of the Admissions Monitoring Committee. The committee is supposed to monitor admissions to medical and engineering courses.

Kerkar submitted the names of five students in the NT-1 category, which continued to reflect in the list of admitted students.

Additional government pleader, Rajesh Behere’s, clarification that all five students had in fact been admitted in various government medical colleges, irked the judges.

The association’s counsel, Chanda Salgaonkar, said the five seats were filled through management quotas.

Senior lawyer Ashutosh Kumbhakoni said the admission programmes of the government and private college’s association run parallel.

Further hearing on the matter is scheduled for October 19.