5 Vacant MBBS seats allegedly given out to ineligible students: Madras High Court issues notice to DME

Chennai: The Madras High Court has ordered a notice to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) in response to a plea filed by an MBBS student seeking cancellation of admissions granted to 5 students, who had allegedly scored less than minimum eligibility marks in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2018.

As per the regulations set by the apex Medical Council of India (MCI), every candidate needs to secure a minimum of 119 marks in the NEET fixed each year. The norms make it obvious that no candidate who fails to meet the minimum eligibility marks shall be admitted to the MBBS course in the said academic year.

Alleging violation in following the aforesaid MCI regulation, the MBBS student alleged that five students who scored less than required marks in NEET were granted MBBS admission.

He had approached the court after he received an RTI response to his query wherein it was revealed that more than 150 MBBS seats under NRI quota were left empty till the last date of MBBS counselling in 2018.

He submitted that the same was neither apprised in the website nor any notification was published in this regard. Following this, the seats were converted as management quota seats and medical colleges were permitted to fill the seats themselves.

Subsequently, PSG Medical College, Coimbatore and SRM Medical College Trichy allegedly admitted five MBBS students even when they scored less than 119 marks in NEET 2018.

The petitioner’s counsel PVS Gridhar claimed that such admissions are made in violation of law with impunity and making unjust gain. This deprives rightful meritorious candidates of seats that result in deterioration of quality of medical education by accepting unqualified candidates, thereby risking the health and life of people.

Allowing the plea, a division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee ordered notice to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) returnable by September 26, reports TOI.