HC seeks state counter on pleas challenging MBBS convener quota

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the state government, seeking a counter over petitions challenging GO 72, which
restricts Andhra Pradesh students from availing of seats under the convener quota for MBBS in medical colleges established after June 2, 2014, in Telangana.

A division bench of Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili heard two petitions in this regard, during which Advocate General (AG) B.S. Prasad, representing the government, tried to convince the court that the GO was meant to benefit students from Telangana.

The AG submitted that since June 2, 2014, several medical colleges have been established in Telangana state and MBBS seats also increased by nearly 100 per cent. These seats should be filled with the Telangana students, he contended.

However, the court questioned AG what the urgency was to issue a GO and questioned the rules framed in the AP Reorganization Act. At the same time, the court also posed a series of questions to the petitioner — what was wrong with issuing the GO, which limits seats under the convener quota to students of Telangana? The court also remarked that a key grievance for forming the Telangana state was that students of the Telangana region were not getting opportunities.

The court directed the state government to file the counter within four weeks.

Besides, the court also directed the Telangana government and Kaloji Narayana Rao University for Health Sciences to process the petitioner's application under the convener quota, until further orders.