High court to hear PG med admission norms issue 

today

Chennai: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





More than a week after a single judge order altering PG medical course admission norms for in-service candidates shook serving government doctors prompting them even to announce a series of agitation, the order has been challenged before a division bench.Though the government itself has filed an appeal, on Tuesday morning, senior counsel P Wilson made a mention of the appeals before the bench of Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice R M T Teekaa Raaman seeking urgent hearing. The matter is being taken up for hearing on Wednesday.The appeal, filed by Dr Prabhu, who is assistant civil surgeon in government peripheral hospital at KK Nagar in Chennai, said though he had scored 1,020 marks out of 1,500 in NEET (PG) held this year, he would be pushed behind in rank by Dr Rajesh Wilson, who scored a mere 856 in the same examination. It became possible due to Justice Pushpa Sat hyanarayana's ruling on April 17, holding that this year's PG medical admissions should be as per MCI Regulation 9(4), which provided for award of maximum of 30% of marks scored by the candidate in NEET, provided he works in a hilly or difficult terrain. Assailing the ruling, Prabhu said the judge had failed to take into account Clause 13.2 of National Board of Examination's Information Bulletin which said states could frame their own rules and regulations for admitting students under service category and that existing quota of states would remain undisturbed. Clause 16.3 also says NBE would provide only information and data of candidates.Prabhu said benefit and incentives for in-service candidates in rural postings shall be determined by the state concerned, and clause 17(b) clearly said counselling for PG seats would be held using NEET(PG) scores along with guidelines and reservation policies of the states concerned.