HC quashes merit list

Fresh merit list and counselling needed; court faults weightage criteria

The Madras High Court has quashed the merit list notified by the State government dated May 6 for admissions to PG medical courses in the State quota.

As a consequence, the entire admission process for over 1,000 seats in government colleges and government quota in self-financing colleges, which was concluded on May 31, has to be redone by the State government after preparing a fresh merit list, strictly in according with the regulations of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

A Division Bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and R. Suresh Kumar passed the interim orders on a batch of pleas moved by S. Praneetha and others assailing the legality of the merit list issued by the State.

Considering the urgency of the issue, the court directed the State government to reconfigure the merit list strictly in accordance with the regulations of the MCI, particularly in awarding incentive marks to in-service candidates, within three days.

‘Flawed procedure’

The weightage, which the State can accord, ranges between 10% and 30% of the marks obtained by a candidate in the NEET-PG.

The primary allegation is that the State, while preparing the final merit list, has accorded weightage, without providing criteria for identifying remote/difficult areas where candidates had served.

“Therefore, if, such areas eligible for incentive marks are not identified, based on known, reasonable or rational criteria, there is every chance of weightage-marks being given to undeserving candidates,” the petitioners added.

When the pleas came up for hearing, the Bench noted that the State government has added to the list of areas (remote and difficult), a number of other areas including PHCs located in rural areas, government hospitals, and government medical college hospitals located in Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram (TNR) districts.

The court observed that the entire exercise of according weightage to in-service candidates was flawed.

“To our minds, a hilly/rural area can be a remote and/or difficult area, but every hilly/rural area need not, necessarily, be a remote and/or difficult area,” the judges added.

‘Eroding merit’

Further pointing out the admission statistics provided by the government, the Bench said, this presents a startling state of affairs. The PG degree course, which comprises twenty four (24) specialities, admitted 700 in-service candidates, as against 34 non-service candidates in government colleges. The position was no better with regard to the self-financing colleges.

Similarly, with respect to the PG Diploma course offered in government colleges, for 15 speciality courses, 299 in-service candidates were admitted, as against 33 non-service candidates. As against this, in self-financing colleges, 11 in-service candidates were admitted, whereas, only five non-service candidates were admitted.

Weightage granted to the candidates working in rural PHCs, government hospitals and government medical college hospitals, located in TNR Districts, will, accordingly, have to be reconfigured, the Bench added.

“While there is no gainsaying that incentives have to be given, to ensure that, in the very least, primary health care is made available in remote and/or difficult areas, it cannot be done in a manner, that it completely erodes merit. Our sense of the matter is, in the instant case, merit has been given a complete go-by.”