CHENNAI: CAN a student, who has obtained a seat in a professional course under the government quota during the previous academic year, seek admission in MBBS course after writing NEET for 2017-18?
This intriguing question has been raised before a division bench of the Madras High Court, recently. As per two GOs issued by the State government on July 28 and October 12, 2015, no such candidate can seek admission in MBBS course.
When a bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and Abdul Quddhose asked Medical Council of India (MCI) senior counsel to clarify the issue, he replied in the negative. No such restriction has been imposed by MCI, he said.
Holding that the matter requires serious examination, the bench ordered notice on writ appeals from two affected candidates, returnable in two weeks. Till then, the earlier interim orders directing medical colleges to keep one seat each vacant for the appellants shall hold good, the bench said and added that the duo will be granted admission subject to the outcome of the writ appeals.
According to advocate M Ravi, his clients Gayathri Swaminath and Kannan alias Sivakumar, natives of Puducherry, had obtained admission in BDS and in engineering courses, respectively, under the government quota. While the former joined the BDS course in 2015-16, the latter the engineering course during 2012-13. They both wrote NEET 2017 and emerged successful.
However, they were denied admission by virtue of the two 2015 GOs, which prevented candidates who had obtained admission under government quota earlier in any of the professional courses, from seeking admission in MBBS course.
Aggrieved, the two moved the High Court and a single judge — K Ravichandra Baabu — dismissed their plea. Hence, the present writ appeals. Ravi contended there was no provision in MCI Act to deny admission to suitable candidates in MBBS course, on this unsupportive ground.
Govt orders banned entry
Gayathri Swaminath and Kannan had obtained admission in BDS and engineering courses under the government quota a few years back. They wrote NEET this year and emerged successful, but were denied seats due to two GOs in 2015.