Orissa HC reserves verdict on medical PG admission writs

The Orissa High Court has reserved its verdict on a petition challenging admission of in-service candidates to Medical PG courses in all government teaching hospitals in the state for the year 2013-14.
The High Court had earlier while admitting the petitions, filed by Dr Biswajit Kar and four others, granted a stay on the admission of the candidates in June this year.
Hearing the counsel for the petitioners and the state Government, a division bench of Chief Justice C Nagappan and Justice Indrajit Mohanti reserved the verdict yesterday.
MBBS degree holders having put in five continuous years of service in rural, tribal and difficult terrains were given preference for admission into the PG courses as in-service candidates and the remaining were treated as direct candidates.

However, the State Health and Family Welfare Department in May this year came out with a notification saying any candidate having completed three years of continuous services and otherwise considered eligible by the selection committee, shall be allowed for admission to PG courses as in-service candidate.
Out of 260 seats for PG courses in all three government teaching hospitals in the state, 87 seats are reserved for in-service candidates and the remaining seats will be filled up by the direct candidates, who are having less than three years of services.
Petitioner Kar and four other doctors, who have already completed five years of services in rural areas and had appeared in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, moved the High Court challenging the May 27, 2013 notification of the government.