Hyderabad High Court upholds move to give weightage marks to doctors

Hyderabad: Hyderabad High Court on Monday upheld the decision of the Telangana Government in giving weightage marks to in-service MBBS doctors for PG Medical courses, replacing the in-service quota.

A Division Bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K. Vijaya Lakshmi, was disposing a batch of petitions filed by Dr M. Vasucharan Reddy and 12 other aspirants for the PG courses seeking to quash the GO No. 21 and 22 issued by the State Government in 2017, introducing the weightage marks system.

The Bench declared that the petitioners are not entitled for reservation, in terms of GO Ms No 260 dated July 10, 1997b and GO No 27 dated April 19, 2017 in the 50 per cent state quota seats in PG Medical Degree courses.

The bench said that they are only entitled for weightage marks, in accordance with the provision in Regulation 9(IV) of the 2000 MCI Regulations while seeking admission to Post Graduate Medical degree courses.

The bench held that the petitioners are entitled for reservation, in the 50 per cent state quota seats in the PG medical diploma courses in terms of Regulation 9(VII) of the 2000 MCI regulations.

Finding fault with the State Government’s decision in providing weightage marks for the candidates who completed a minimum three years of service, the Bench directed that the petitioners shall be entitled for the benefit of weightage marks for the services rendered by them in tribal areas, even if the service rendered by them is for a period less than three years.

The bench told that the government doctors, who have completed their PG diploma courses before they joined government service, shall be entitled for deputation for a period of three years while studying the PG courses.