PG seats: Supreme Court imposes fine of Rs 1 crore each on TN govt, MCI
Chennai: The Madras high court imposed a cost of Rs 1 crore each on the Tamil Nadu government and the Medical Council of India for not following the laws relating to seat sharing. On Tuesday, the court directed the state government to appropriate 50 per cent of Postgraduate medical seats in respect of each specialty from non-Governmental medical institutions in the state - excluding the minority institutions - as state quota and make admission on the basis of NEET merit list through centralised counselling by the State.
Disposing of a batch of petitions from Dr. M. Hemalatha and 19 others, Justice N.Kirubakaran said the state government shall by notification include 50 per cent seats in Deemed Universities, excepting minority institutions and SRM Medical College and Saveetha Medical College, in the counselling to be conducted for government seats in self-financing medical colleges and 50 percent institution quota seats in Deemed Universities in the counselling to be conducted for management quota seats in self financing medical colleges. (SRM and Saveetha had filed petitions challenging common counselling and obtained interim protection for the admission of students already made).
Minority institutions need not share 50 percent of their seats with the state government except by doing so voluntarily in view of Article 15 (5) and 30 of the Constitution, the judge added.
The judge said admission made in respect of 15 per cent NRI quota by non-governmental medical institutions in the state, excepting minority institutions, was not valid and was set aside, as per Central government communications dated March 10 and April 6. Non-governmental institutions, except minority institutions shall surrender all their seats including 15 percent NRI quota seats for centralised common counselling to be conducted by the state, the judge added.
The state being the counselling authority, it shall notify in the website the details relating to availability of seats in each college / university / institution (specialty wise), complete fee structure of all non-governmental institutions including the Deemed Universities which shall also include the expenses the student has to incur for pursuing his course, list of candidates absent during the counselling, list of candidates who have not joined in governmental / non-governmental institutions including Deemed Universities and details of seats allotted to NRI quota (specialty wise), the judge added.
