Kaloji University faulted for disallowing NRIs, PIOs from MBBS admission

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday found fault with the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences for deleting the provision that allowed the children of non-resident lndians (NRIs) and persons of Indian origin (PIOs) to get admission in MBBS and BDS colleges in the state.

Government Order 114 of the TS health, medical and family welfare department, dated July 5, 2017, facilitates the admission of NRI and PIO students in MBBS and BDS courses. The university on October 10 had issued a notification deleting the category.

Challenging it, some NRI and PIO students approached the High Court. The students asked that when the state government had made a statutory obligation, how could the university delete the provision.

Aravelli Prabhakar Rao, counsel for the university, submitted that the Centre had on September 22 issued a circular, stating that NRI sudents appearing for all-lndia entrance tests were eligible for admission only against NRI seats or any supernumerary seat, provided that the Overseas Citizens of lndia (OCl) cardholder is not eligible for admission against any seat reserved exclusively for indian citizens.

The all India tests include National Eligibility-cum -Entrance Test, Joint Entrance Examination (Mains), Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) and others.

A Division bench comprising Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwara Rao said that as long as the statutory rules were in force, the university could issue a notification contrary to them.

The court directed the university to permit the petitioners to participate in the counselling for admission into MBBS and BDS courses if they were within the zone of merit. The court observed that the petitioners were studying in Telangana for more than four years and had certain rights in terms of the statutory rules.