Pune: A day before admissions to postgraduate (PG) medical education were to be closed, the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday stayed the State Government notification for 10 pc quota benefits for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students in PG medical courses in Maharashtra for the year 2019-2020.
The order will affect around 135 candidates including 110 in PG medicine and 25 admissions in PG dental courses, who have already sought admission in medical colleges across Maharashtra.
The court observed that the State introduced EWS quota after the admission process had commenced. The seats must be increased first, the court said.
It also quashed admissions made under EWS quota in the general category candidates.
Speaking to Sakal Times, State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell Commissioner Anand Rayate said the order will be uploaded on the CET website and details on admission process will be updated. “However, there will be no extension of dates for PG admission after May 31,” he said.
As per the vacant seats details updated on CET website till May 29, as many as 307 seats across 21 government and government-aided institutes and corporation medical colleges in the State are vacant for mop-up round II. It is likely that 135 seats will be opened for PG aspirants in open category.
However, PG aspirants have stated that any development in regards to open admission for open category students was unlikely. “The admissions to PG medical courses will be completed by Friday. It was impossible to complete all the re-admission process including newly vacant seats after the SC ruling in just one-and-half day. Unless CET extends the dates for admission by at least a week, it looks difficult that this new change will benefit us in any way,” said a PG candidate in open category on condition of anonymity.
Another PG candidate, on similar condition, said, “Due to reservation system, I received a seat in diploma courses but I want admission to a degree course. Therefore, I dropped my admission from diploma course. Many aspirants couldn’t get their choice of degree course due to non-availability of seats. Nevertheless, if now the CET cell decides to keep me away from the admission because I have dropped the seat received in initial stage, then it will be unfair to me.”
Meanwhile, a resident doctor who has got admission under the 10 per cent EWS quota said they have already joined late due to the confusion in PG admissions, but now after the recent order there is fear of losing the stream they wanted to pursue.
“I had joined psychiatry for my PG and now if the re-admission process starts there is a chance I will not get the same stream at the same college. Moreover, I will waste 15 more days at least to get the readmission process done. And it is as good as wasting the last one-and-half months if the subject we have taken is changed,” said a student who is on-hold due to the Supreme Court order.
