Another Court Notice to GMC Sector 32 on PG Medical Admissions

Chandigarh: The Government Medical College Hospital(GMCH), Sector -32 is amid controversy over admissions to postgraduate (PG) courses.

The hospital has been sent a notice for an appearance by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on Wednesday, on the basis of a plea filed by 3 students of the college. The students have alleged that the college has reverted 17 seats from the all-India quota to the institutional quota against court orders.

“The institutional quota against Court order to the open category under state quota,” said Rahul Sharma the petitioner’s Counsel. “The institute has been asked to respond by 10 am.”

The institute’s decision has resulted in 48 seats falling in the lap of GMCH students GMCH students as against the share entitlement of 31 the court was informed.

Earlier in an order, the high court had set aside the 100% institutional quota, allowed the college a 50% share.

Jasmeet Singh, the mother of one of the applicants, said: “The experience has not been pleasant. An institute of esteem as the GMCH should have put things in order. Either rule is not in place or they have been misinterpreted. It is pathetic, how can they discriminate against students?”

The 125 PG seats at the institute, are divided into All India Quota (63 seats) and the UT Chandigarh Pool (62 seats). The all-India quota share of seats goes to NEET qualifiers based on their merit rankings. The UT Chandigarh pool of 62 seats, 50 percent is given to students of the institute while the other half goes to those who have a city domicile but have done their MBBS from outside Chandigarh.

All applications, say sources, were processed on May 30. The students moved court as they did not get seats of their choice in the GMCH departments, as they were passed onto students who graduated from the institute.

A fine of Rs 25,000 has been imposed on a health ministry official Dr B Srinivas for taking an “unjust” stand on the admission controversy at GMCH, reported HT.

PG course aspirants were barred from participating in Counselling after getting admissions by a Supreme Court order in 2017.

Later it was clarified that the order pertained to MBBS admissions and not PG courses.

After getting admission into a Pune college, some PG course aspirants had applied for admission to the GMCH, but their applications were rejected, leading them to move court. When the court sent the centre a notice, the health ministry came up saying that the students were not eligible as per the SC order

Even after the HC referred to the apex court’s clarification, the ministry had stuck to its guns, which resulted in the court fining the officer who had filed this affidavit.