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Telangana: Post Graduate medical aspirants get no relief

SC refuses to stay Rules notified by TS to facilitate admissions

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court has refused to stay the Telangana Medical Colleges, (Admission into Post Graduate Medical Courses) Rules 2017 that were notified by the state government on April 10 this year for facilitating admissions to Post Graduate medical courses.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Deepak Mishra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar was disposing of special leave petitions by Dr M. Jyothsna Devi and others, challenging the refusal of the Hyderabad High Court to grant interim direction to the state government to complete the PG admissions based on NEET - PG – 2017.

The appellants had asked the HC to permit students to take the PG Degree of their choice based on merit as per the existing AP Medical Colleges (Admission into Post Graduate Medical Courses) Rules, 1997, by suspending the Telangana Rules 2017.

The petitioners contended that the Rules were changed midway and there was no rationale in providing reservation for in-service candidates, who joined service with a bachelor’s degree in medicine, for admission to a post-graduate course in any subject.

They complained to the court that they have not been extended the benefit of in-service reservation to pursue a PG degree course in a subject other than the one in which they possess a PG diploma.

A division bench of the High Court on April 27, refused to grant the interim order by observing that “the petitioners cannot claim, as of right, that the state government should extend them the benefit of in-service reservation in admission to PG medical courses, that too in the manner they seek. Nor would this court take upon itself the task of amending the rules as this exercise is required to be undertaken by the Rule-making authority.”

The A-G, on behalf of the state government, had given an undertaking to the High Court that “in case an in-service candidate secures admission in a PG degree course strictly on the basis his or her merit in NEET, and not as an in-service candidate, the government would not prevent such a candidate from pursuing the said course.”

The High Court, while recording the undertaking made it clear that selection of in-service candidates to undergo PG degree courses in the quota reserved in their favour, shall be subject to further orders in this case.

Aggrieved by the order, the petitioners moved the Supreme Court and the apex court said “we are only inclined to request to the High Court to dispose of the writ petition by the end of July, 2017. If the High Court grants relief to the petitioners, it shall also consider the matter keeping in view the principles of equity.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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