Coming down heavily on the Maharashtra government for the problems being faced by students in admissions to post graduate medical and dental courses in the 2019-20 academic year, the Supreme Court Tuesday directed it to conduct the final round of counselling by June 14.
The court questioned the state for not conducting any counselling after the apex court's order stayed the notification to grant 10 per cent reservation in the admissions for 2019-20 to economically weaker sections (EWS) in PG medical and dental courses.
A vacation bench of Justices Indu Malhotra and M R Shah directed the state to issue advertisements in local newspapers having wide publication for counselling for admission in the current academic year and also to specify that it would be the "final round of counselling".
It directed that the entire process of counselling should be completed on or before June 14 and admissions be given on the basis of merit.
The bench also directed that no further petition and application with regard to admission in PG medical courses in the state for the current academic year would be entertained by any other court.
The apex court said no student would be permitted to change preference given in the earlier admission form.
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It passed the order on pleas filed by some medical students seeking fresh round of counselling after the re-drawing of the merit list. They approached the top court following its order staying the state's notification to grant 10 per cent quota to EWS category students in PG medical and dental courses for the current academic year.
During the hearing, the bench asked the counsel appearing for Maharashtra and State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell as to why fresh counselling was not done after re-drawing of the merit list.
"We do not want to pass any order which will affect other students," the bench said, adding, "You (state) are the author of all these problems. It is very improper".
If further said: "The moment EWS quota is made open to general category, a fresh counselling has to be done. You (state) cannot do it as per your wish. Meritorious students cannot be thrown out of the window like this... How can you do it without any fresh counselling."