Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy to permit a 16-year-old meritorious girl student, who recited all 1,330 Tirukkural couplets while studying in LKG itself, to take part in the counselling for the B.A.M.S course and, if she is found eligible in the counselling, admit her in Maria Ayurveda Medical College in Kanyakumari district.
Justice T.Raja gave the directive while disposing of a petition from the girl student Yazhesy Tha, who was not considered for selection on the ground that she has not completed 17 years as on December 31, 2018, as per clause 45 of the prospectus issued by the Director, Indian Medicine and Homeopathy Department.
According to Yazhesy Tha, after passing plus-2, she applied for BSMS/ BAMS/ BNYS/BUMS/BHMS courses for the year 2018-19. Though she has scored 157.25 cut off marks and her rank falls in between 1648 and 1666, she was not considered for selection on the ground that she has not completed 17 years as on December 31, 2018, as per clause 3 of the prospectus, she added.
The judge said it was an admitted fact that the petitioner is a meritorious student who evidently proved her memory and intelligentsia as she started reciting all 1,330 Tirukkural couplets, even from LKG itself and she was awarded a certificate by Deiveeka Sidhantha Ilakiya Mandram on August 2, 2006. She was also conferred title “Tirukkural Maamani by Thalainagar Tamizhasangam on July 24, 2011.
Further, the World Tamil Research Centre, Thramani also awarded certificate on the 66th birth anniversary of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, certifying that she had participated in Tirukkural recitation competition while studying 8th standard.
Besides several other awards conferred on her clearly show that the petitioner is a highly talented student and also a child prodigy. The difficulty faced by her at the hands of the authorities shows that as she has applied for the said courses and she also secured 157.25 marks, for the simple reason that she is below 17 years as on December 31, 2018, the authorities have denied permission, the judge added.
Pointing out the eligibility criteria as per the amended notification, the judge said when the petitioner has admittedly complied with the admission qualifications, as per the amended notification dated November 7, 2016, the authorities cannot rely upon the old notification dated October 13, 2006 issued for Siddha by citing the age factor that she has not completed 17 years of age as on December 31. This court finds no impediment on the basis of the latest amended notification to allow the petitioner to take part in the counseling. Additional advocate general A.Kumar submitted that on the basis of her cut off marks, she may not be able to get admission in government colleges for Siddha but she can be considered for admission in private colleges and since counseling was presently going on and there was vacancy in Maria Ayurveda Medical College, she will be considered in the said college, the judge added and gave the directive.
