Maha CET Cell extends Deadline for PG Medical Admissions: Students still in Confusion

Mumbai: While Maha CET Cell has extended the deadline for PG medical admissions; 250 students affected by the Supreme Court scrapping the plea filed by the Maharashtra government against the HC order ruling the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) quota inapplicable for this year; are stuck in a down and out situation.

These students had got admission to postgraduate medical courses under the SEBC quota. However, with the SC verdict on the case, SEBC quota was held invalid for this year admissions.

While this SC order has been a major blow to the Maharashtra government and SEBC quota candidates who had already taken admission on the basis of the Maratha quota while cancelling their seats that they had acquired via All India Quota counselling; the open category (meritorious) PG medical aspirants are clearly delighted.

Walking onto the warpath, the aggrieved students, since one week, had been demanding that the Maharashtra government intervene in the matter immediately and prevent them from losing a valuable academic year. These students say that as the other ways of seeking admission, such as entrance exams- have already got over, these students are afraid of losing their academic year.

The PG courses started on May 2, but on May 5 they were informed that their admissions were cancelled, though they had paid full fees and joined duties.

On May 4, the division bench of honourable Justices Sunil Shukre and Pushpa Ganediwala ruled in their order that the March 8 notification about the implementation of the new 16 per cent reservation for the Maratha community, under the SEBC quota; shall not be applicable to the PG medical admission process, which had started earlier.

In response to the HC order, the state had moved the SC seeking an ex-parte stay on the High Court’s judgment and leave to file an appeal against the said judgment.

Read Also: Maratha quota in PG medical admissions: State government moves Supreme court

SC bench of honourable Justices Nageswara Rao and MR Shah felt that since the admission process had already begun last year the HC order was right.

“Section 16 (2) of the SEBC Act bars the grant of reservation if the process of entrance test had already started before the Act came into force. State counsel Mukul Rohatgi said that the students who had been given seats under the SEBC quota were allotted admissions also under the all India quota. They had left their allotments under the All India and come to Maharashtra hence they would stand to lose.”

The SC has extended the deadline for admissions from May 18 to May 25, but SEBC quota students claim that it may not be enough.

Read Also: NO Maratha Quota in PG Medical Admissions 2019: Students approach CM Fadnavis

After these developments, the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell had issued the orders cancelling the admissions given under the SEBC quota.

HT reports that the government is also seeking to extend the deadline for PG medical and dental admissions from May 25 to June 15.

Following a directive from the state government on Monday, the Common Entrance Test (CET) cell put a seven-day stay on the admission process on Tuesday, when the first list of medical college allotments without the 16% quota for Marathas quota was expected.

The government is also seeking to push the deadline for PG medical and dental admissions to June 15, by which time litigations related to the newly-introduced 10% quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) should be resolved. “Considering the decision to implement EWS quota in health science courses has also been challenged in court, the government has decided to request the SC to extend the admission period,” read a letter from the government to the Maha CET cell.

The notification uploaded on the official website of Maha CET Cell states, “Due to the legal issues that have come in the way of the admissions and Maharashtra government’s plan to approach the SC for an extension, the admission procedure has been stayed for a period of 7 days, starting May 13.”

Medical Dialogues had been extensively reporting about the reservation issues in the state.

• On November 30 last year, the Maharashtra Legislature had passed a bill proposing 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for the Marathas, declared SEBC by the government and hence it decided to grant them the reservation.


• As of now, in Maharashtra, 50 % of medical seats in government-run medical colleges are for reserved category (SC/ST/OBC/ VJNT). Out of the other 50% which is known as the open category; 14% of seats go to Persons with Disability (PwD), defence and other quotas. There is also a special quota (depending on eligible candidates) for students from the reserved categories who are eligible for an open quota seat based on their scores, ranging from 3%-5%.


• In addition, 10% has been fixed for medical students belonging to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota.


• Further, the implementation of 16% Maratha quota was done which left a meagre 5 % for candidates vying medical admission on merit basis.

Read Also: Where is the Merit in PG Medical Admissions? With Maratha quota in place, Medicos to again approach HC