Maharashtra: Medical aspirants to challenge new domicile rules in SC

Mumbai : With medical and dental aspirants planning to file a petition to challenge the new domicile eligibility rules, they are up for a fight for the state’s most coveted college seats.

Discontented over the state’s decision to relax domicile eligibility for medical and dental admissions , parents of students are filing a writ petition in the Supreme Court in a week’s time.

The Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DMER), on Saturday evening had 40 parents standing outside it, to discuss issues about medical admissions with the officials. “Based on a recently passed high court order, the DMER has relaxed domicile norms because of which the ranks are very high this year. Students from other states have made it into the state quota merit list while our children are struggling,” said one of the parents.

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court relaxed domicile norms for medical and dental aspirants in the state on July 7.Earlier, those who had a domicile certificate or had cleared class 10 and 12 from the state were eligible for state quota seats. Presently, class 10 no longer remains an essentiality

“Those who have cleared Class 12 from Maharashtra, even without Class 10 from the state, will be eligible for state quota seats from now,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, director of DMER.

Parents feel that the purpose behind state quota seats was being defeated due to the change in the eligibility criteria as most students from the state were losing out on seats in state-run and private institutes

“We have no option but to take our fight to the SC once again this year. Our children deserve seats in state institutes,” said another parent.

Parents expressed unhappiness over DMER’s decision not to release a revised provisional state merit list, after aspirant verification of documents .

“Thousands of students apply for seat in Maharashtra medical and dental institutes and document verification will decide whether all those who have applied are eligible for state quota seats. DMER cannot do away with this procedure,” said a parent to HT.

Parents have urged the DMER to release a final list before the first seat allotment list is out on July 25.