Admission to PG medical courses in Maharashtra: SC to hear fresh applications on June 10

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on June 10 two fresh applications seeking modification of its recent directions passed in a matter related to admissions to post graduate (PG) medical and dental courses in the 2019-20 academic year in Maharashtra. One of the applications sought modification of direction passed by the apex court in its June 4 order by which it had said that no further petition on admissions to PG medical and dental courses in 2019-20 academic year in the state would be entertained by any court.

The other application sought changes in the direction by which the court had said that no student shall be permitted to change his or her preference for allotment of seat given by them at the time of making their application on March 5, 2019. Both the applications were mentioned for urgent listing before a vacation bench comprising justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi.

Senior counsel Sanjay Hegde and advocate Govind Jee mentioned the applications before the bench and said that the matter should be listed for hearing on June 10. The counsel appearing for Maharashtra opposed the fresh applications and referred to the June 4 order of the apex court in which it was made clear that no further petition or application regarding admission to PG medical courses for the present academic year in the state shall be entertained by any court.

The application on the direction related to any further challenge said the Bombay High Court is presently seized of a matter related to challenge to an Ordinance promulgated by Maharashtra in May on reservation of seats for admission in educational institution in the state for socially and educationally backward classes. It said that the petitioner had first approached the apex court against the Ordinance but they were asked by the court to move the high court.

The application said the apex court should clarify that its June 4 order would not come in the way of high court deciding the plea challenging the validity of the Ordinance. The other application sought modification of the June 4 direction saying the qualified students should be permitted to exercise change of his or her preference for allotment of seats in the PG medical and dental courses in Maharashtra for 2019-2020 academic year.

The top court had on June 4 directed the Maharashtra government to conduct final round of counselling by June 14 for admissions to PG medical and dental courses in the 2019-20 academic year. The court had questioned the state for not conducting any counselling following the apex court's order staying 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.

The apex court had earlier threatened contempt proceedings against Maharashtra government officials for "virtually overriding" its order staying 10 per cent quota to students of EWS in admissions to PG medical and dental courses in 2019-20.

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