LI Network
Published on: October 9, 2023 at 15:02 IST
The Allahabad High Court recently expressed serious concern over the admission practices in private medical colleges in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The court observed that certain candidates with lower marks were granted backdoor entries, while deserving petitioners from different states were denied opportunities based on their lack of domicile.
Eleven petitioners, belonging to the OBC/SC category and non-residents of Uttar Pradesh, appeared in the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) conducted by the National Testing Agency. They passed with marks ranging between 108-132, meeting the OBC/SC cutoff of 107, while the general category cutoff was 138.
The petitioners argued that the guidelines for counseling in MBBS/BDS courses for the academic session 2023-24 in government and private medical colleges were not being followed consistently.
They pointed out that, according to the guidelines, domicile of Uttar Pradesh was not a necessary criterion for admission in private medical colleges.
However, the petitioners, despite being eligible, were labeled as “not eligible” during the counseling rounds, while candidates with lower marks and domicile in Uttar Pradesh were admitted.
The court noted that despite there being no reservation in private medical colleges, candidates with much lower marks than the petitioners were granted admissions, raising suspicions of backdoor entries for privileged and well-connected individuals.
In response to the discrepancies and contradictions in the instructions provided by the Counsel for the State, the bench, consisting of Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Prashant Kumar, restrained the authorities from filling 11 undergraduate seats in the ongoing counseling for stray vacancies.
The court took a stern stand and directed the State of Uttar Pradesh through Principal Secretary, Medical Health & Education, and Director General, Medical Education and Training, to submit personal affidavits detailing the reasons for granting admissions to candidates with lower marks and domicile in Uttar Pradesh.
The court expressed dissatisfaction with the incomplete information provided and adjourned the case, giving the State counsels time to gather accurate instructions.
This case sheds light on the alarming issue of favoritism and irregularities in the admission processes of private medical colleges, emphasizing the need for transparency and fairness in educational institutions.