VIJAYAWADA: AP Legislative Committee on BC Welfare held a meeting with the officials of both Higher Education department and NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) over implementation of GO No. 550 in filling medical seats through NEET UG counselling on Friday. In this regard, the officials discussed the protection of rule of reservation for students and decided to defend it in the High Court.
Addressing the press, AP Legislative Assembly Committee on Backward Classes Welfare Chairman G Thippeswamy, said GO No. 550 was issued by the TDP government in united Andhra Pradesh for the protection of reservation of BC students.
“For the last 17 years, we have been implementing GO No. 550 and we support it as over 400 BC students have lost their seats in medical counselling.”
He said further said that they would conduct re-counselling after court issues its order order.
Meanwhile, the university officials explained their version of the medical counselling and also said that they have put the second phase of counselling on hold. Speaking to TNIE, S Appala Naidu, Registrar of NTRUHS, said, “GO No. 550 was issued by the Higher Education Department. The court order also directed the Higher Education Department to file its petition. Both AP and Telangana have to sit together and discuss this. In Friday’s meeting, the State government said the Advocate General will be dealing with this in the court on Monday.”
On July 30, 2001, then government issued GO No. 550 on seat allotment in Engineering and other professional courses, stating that the open category seats are to be filled first based on the merit basis, irrespective of the reservation category.
Taking into consideration the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Union of India vs Ramesh Ram case, a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court stayed implementation of para 5(2) of GO No. 550 issued by the AP government in 2001 for filling of seats (allocated to meritorious reserved category candidates) which fell vacant, with another reserved category candidates.
The court issued stay order on August 30, 2017 and directed the Principal Secretary to Medical and Health Department, Vice-Chairman of NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) and other stakeholders for filing their counter affidavits by September 17, 2017. However, after that neither the State government nor the university officials failed to file counter petition.