Maharashtra offers admission to non-domiciled students

Maharashtra offers admission to non-domiciled students

Pune: The State government has opened admissions for non-domicile medical aspirants after the Bombay High Court (HC) quashed the government resolution (GR) restricting admissions to postgraduate (PG) medical and dental courses only for State domicile students.

In a notification, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) stated that non-domiciled Maharashtra candidates were not eligible to apply as per the previous notification. However, the HC has directed to accept online applications form non-domiciled candidates completing MBBS/BDS course from the State of Maharashtra. In compliance with this judgement, necessary changes have been made in the admission process. The last date for online submission of the application form has been extended from February 26 to March 3 till 5 pm. 

Outside Maharashtra students (OMS) had recently challenged a State GR, which stated that the candidate should be a domicile of the State of Maharashtra as the eligibility criterion government and government-aided colleges in the State in Bombay HC. As an aide to these students, a bench of Justices BR Gavai and BP Colabawalla pronounced the judgement favouring the OMS. It stated that the State cannot exclude hundreds of students.

According to previous rules, students who are domiciles of Maharashtra or have completed their under-graduation in medical and dental courses in the State or civic body-run medical colleges, can seek admission under the State quota for the PG courses.

However, the State government had emphasised on reserving at least 50 per cent of the total seats in Maharashtra government and aided colleges for State domiciled students stating that students who are admitted against the All India Quota for MBBS course, complete their post-graduation in Maharashtra and settle elsewhere. Therefore, huge expenditure incurred by the State on providing facilities to such students goes in waste as far as Maharashtra is concerned.

A student from outside Maharashtra told Sakal Times, "We have no problem with reservations being granted to domiciled students. But we came to study MBBS in Maharashtra as we were given in writing (in the prospectus) that if we study MBBS here, we will be considered for admission to postgraduate courses (MD/MS) under the State quota i.e. the quota for Maharashtra domiciled students. Had we not been told at the time of MBBS admission about this, we would have considered completing MBBS from other states, which offer such admissions."

Another student added, "OMS students have been offered PG seats under the State quota because there are many government medical colleges in the State. Also, now, the government has offered the State quota to the Karnataka students, who reside in the bordering districts. Therefore, to accommodate Karnataka students, they want to prevent OMS students from getting admission under State quota."

State to challenge HC directive 
Nevertheless, the Maharashtra government has stated it will challenge the HC judgement in the Supreme Court (SC). In a notification posted on the DMER website, it has been mentioned that all admissions pursuant to the HC judgement will be subject to the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) in proposed proceedings to be filed against the said judgement by the State of Maharashtra in the SC.

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