Madras HC okays PG medical course admissions with clauses

No weightage (incentive marks) shall be given to candidates coming under the A3 category (doctors who had done specialisation, working in emergency and critical care units), the bench made it clear.
Madras HC (File | PTI)
Madras HC (File | PTI)

CHENNAI : A vacation bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to complete the process of selection of candidates for PG degree/diploma courses in medicine and proceed with the admission for 2018-19 before May 31 on the basis of the Supreme Court directions and orders of the government. No weightage (incentive marks) shall be given to candidates coming under the A3 category (doctors who had done specialisation, working in emergency and critical care units), the bench made it clear.

“Although it appears that the committee, which had recommended the categorisation, might not have considered certain parameters laid down by the Supreme Court, the basis adopted by it cannot completely be held as wholly extraneous and uncalled for. In the above circumstances, we hold that in order to complete the admission process of the PG degree/diploma courses, the categorisation, as provided in the impugned GOs, sans A(3) shall be construed to be valid for the purpose of admission for the academic year 2018-19,” the bench said. 

The bench was partly allowing a writ appeal from the State government challenging the single judge order dated April 18 last and disposing of the writ petitions on the issue, on Thursday.
The bench also directed the government to include a retired judge of the High Court in the expert committee, which was constituted to identify the categorisation of difficult, remote and rural areas, as directed by the Supreme Court.  

Each time such an identification and categorisation takes place, it is always put to challenge by the aggrieved sections, who were omitted to be included or sections which are held not entitled and thereby the admission process gets completely derailed every academic year. In such an event, the courts are forced to pass orders more on the basis of expediency only to protect the interest of the public at large. 
To avoid such recurrence in future towards categorisation of doctors who are employed in the remote, difficult and rural areas for the purpose of benefit of additional weightage, as envisaged in proviso to sub-clause IV of Regulation 9 of the Medical Council of India, the committee may be headed by a retired judge of the High Court. 

This is more so, when repeatedly such an identification or categorisation is challenged in the legal forum so that the experts, who are part of the committee, will have the benefit of legal acumen from the judge concerned while making the recommendations for identifying the areas in tune with the provisions of the MCI and the directions of the apex court, the bench said and hoped that the government would bear this in mind while constituting any further committee/s for future academic years in respect of admissions to PG degree/diploma courses.

Way out
To avoid such recurrence in future towards categorisation of doctors who are employed in the remote areas for the purpose of benefit of weightage, as envisaged in proviso to sub-clause IV of Regulation 9 of the Medical Council of India
720 more seats in Anna Univ centres
Anna university will set up four new BE or BTech progr-ammes that will create an additional 720 seats (240 in each centres) in TN.
 

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