Telangana will gain 900 med. seats by scrapping AIQ: Experts

Hyderabad: With the ongoing CBI investigation unravelling the leakage of the NEET-UG question papers and undue advantage to a section of students, parents and legal experts from the two Telugu states have demand scrapping of the all-India quota for this academic year.

This move, the experts say, will protect the interests of most students who will get additional seats in government medical colleges in their respective states. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh can save 900 seats by scrapping AIQ and allot the same to local students.

"These 15 per cent seats, somewhere around 450 in Telangana, are usually open for students of other states. While those students are upfront in applying for these seats, Telangana students are not so forthcoming while applying for seats in other states. Moreover, the all-India ranks, which determine the seat allocation are in the favour of students from one or two states because of the paper leak and they will grab AIQ seats in remaining states," said Dr Ala Venkateswarlu, a Guntur-based paediatrician, who has been fighting for Backward Classes students in medical examinations.

Keeping this in mind, experts have suggested that the each state must push for 100 per cent seats for students in their state. "Each state has to pass a resolution in the Assembly or write a letter to the central government to scrap the 15 per cent quota for this year. The Medical Council has to pass circulars for the same in each state and the Vice Chancellors of the health universities have to make representations to the governments," said advocate Y. Balaji, appearing for one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court in NEET UG grace marks case.

"Students in a few states in North India have benefited from the paper leaks and if the present marks are taken into consideration, the top ranks will inevitably be bagged by those who were involved in malpractices. Hence, scrapping of the 15 per cent quota makes sense to give fairer opportunities to students, specifically in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where students rarely get top ranks," he added.

He said that the re-exam conducted for 1563 students who were awarded grace marks is also unreasonable because one exam cannot have two question papers.

As chances of re-conduct of examination appearing bleak, Balaji said the judiciary should consider rendering justice to majority students by removing the advantage that some students gained out of paper leak.