MBBS students to be granted admissions without bank guarantee: Kerala HC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/ KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday issued an interim order granting permission to medical aspirants seeking MBBS course admissions to go ahead without submitting a bank guarantee

The court of Justice K. Surendra Mohan and Justice Shircy V through its interim order to Travancore Medical College was responding to a petition filed by 11 students .The court through an interim order gave directions to the Principal, Travancore Medical College, Kollam to admit the students for MBBS courses on the state merit seat, without insisting on a bank guarantee.

The court also took this opportunity to issue notices to the State Government, and the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, or the Admission Supervisory and Fee Regulatory Committee.

The TOI citing a petitioner, Navya Rajeev Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram's woes reported that after having qualified the MBBS entrance examination, the student had applied for admission to the said medical college. She had ranked 1803rd in the Medical and Allied Courses in the Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical Entrance Exam (KEAM) 2018 the report further added.

According to the allotment memo issued, the petitioner was allotted admission to an MBBS course in Travancore Medical College on a state merit seat and directed to join on or before 12^th July.

When she approached the college for her MBBS admission she was asked to furnish a bank guarantee for a fee to be remitted in the next four years.

Her petition contended that the state Government, Commissioner of Entrance Exams, or the Admission Supervisory Committee has not given the college the authority to collect a bank guarantee from the candidates for admission to MBBS courses.

However, she claimed that she was asked for one on or before 11^th July. She further admitted that if the admission was denied to her on grounds of non-issuance of bank guarantee, her prospects for further allotment would be zeroed. She hence sought relief from the court.

The division bench also observed during the course of the hearing that Travancore Medical College, Kollam had declined to extend the benefit of the court’s recent order, to not insist for bank guarantee, to all students and took a stand that it was applicable only to those petitioners, whose petition it was.

The order issued by the court stated that Travancore Medical College Principal’s stand was unjustified and could not be countenanced. “Both the 2nd and 3rd respondents (commissioner of entrance examinations and admission supervisory committee) shall be at liberty to issue orders in this regard, to be applicable generally to all similarly situated students and colleges,” it said reports the TOI.

Meanwhile, the Admission Supervisory Committee and Fee Regulatory Committee have asked medical and dental college managements not to insist on candidates who seek admission in their colleges to produce bank guarantee in the coming years and has warned them that any such demand can be understood as an attempt on their part to seek capitation fee, reports the Hindu.