Govt and Private Medical Colleges have to have same Quotas: High Court

Faridkot: Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered that the reservation matrix of MBBS and BDS seats in the state's private medical and dental colleges be made equal to those offered in government colleges. The court acknowledged that there existed no rationale behind the reservation matrix of seats being limited to government institutions alone; taking away the benefit from private institutes.

Responding to 5 writs filed by 5 medical aspirants, the court further stated that the process was a centralized one and based on government directives.

The student petition filed in the High Court earlier this month revealed a 1 per cent reservation quota for sportspersons, 1 per cent quota for children and grandchildren of terrorism-affected persons in government medical and dental colleges. However, it clarified that the same facility was not extended to those wanting to study in private institutions; despite the process of admission being routed through the government and being largely centralized.

Both the state government and the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) —the central agency conducting centralized counselling for all medical and dental colleges in the state have found it difficult to explain the existing reservation matrix disparity between government and private medical and dental institutions; making this artificial difference unsustainable.

Calling the disparity an artificial distinction that could only be sustained in violation of Article 14 of the constitution, the High Court order pronounced that henceforth, the reservation matrix applicable to government institutes would apply to private institutions, as well.

The court has instructed BFUHS to protect the five MBBS seats for these candidates in private medical colleges during the pendency of these writ petitions.

The BFUHS on its behalf has to extend the counselling tenure to make admission to these five protected seats as per the High Court directive.

"We are waiting for the directions from the state government in view of the HC decision," said Dr Raj Bahadur, Vice-Chancellor, BFUHS told the Tribune.