MBBS admissions in Telangana: Supreme Court reverses High Court Order on GO 550

Written by Geeta Sharma Sharma Published On 2018-08-25T09:57:02+05:30 | Updated On 20 Aug 2021 1:09 PM IST

Hyderabad: Reversing the judgement given by the Telangana High Court earlier this month, the Supreme Court has now restored the GO Ms 550 para 5(2) issued by the Telangana Government with respect to medical admissions in the state. However, not wanting to disturb the current admission process, the Apex court decided not to disturb the medical admissions already made for the current year, state recent media reports

The Government order 500 has been a matter of debate since the beginning of admissions this year. GO 550 first came into the eye of a storm when this Government Order(GO), which mandating filling of vacancy of a medical seat by a student from the reserved category, only if the vacancy arose due to the decision of the student from the reserved category to move from the seat secured by him in open category, was stayed by a High Court division bench

The bench issued the stay on GO Ms 550 para 5(2) in response to a petition filed by Harshvardhan and others. The petitioners while pleading to the court stated that some reserved category students on the basis of their NEET ranking were allotted seats falling in open category (non-reserved), to which they said they had no objections. However, they expressed reservations about was the fact that these students after the allotment moved to another town and college, leaving the seats already allotted to them vacant, with a question mark on who the seats were to be now allotted. They wondered whether the vacancy created was to be filled by any student based on NEET rank or by a reserved category student alone.

Soon after the stay, the High Court quashed the Order. Giving final decision, the court clearly ruled that if a meritorious reserved candidate (MRC) prefers to abandon his open category seat and slides down to a seat in a college of his choice using his reservation facility, then the seat vacated by him should be filled by an open category candidate and not by a reserved category candidate.

The HC decision promoted the state government, varsities and candidates to challenge the same in the Supreme court. However, in the meanwhile, though delayed, counselling still took place in the state.

Media reports State that the Apex Court has now set aside the HC verdict and restored the Clause 5.2 of GO 550. Having said that, Apex court is reported to have asked not to disturb the admissions already made for the current year.

"The court has made it clear that this year's admissions are not be disturbed. The government has been asked to modify the GO. So from next year GO 550 will be implemented," Prof B Karunakar Reddy, vice-chancellor, Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Warangal confirmed to TNIE .

Hans India reports that while setting aside High Court's verdict, the apex court has asked to follow the similar process as followed earlier in filling a seat vacated by a merit reservation candidate. Further, the court directed the AP and Telangana States could make necessary corrections as per the online examination followed now so as to give effect to the GO 550 which was followed during manual system of entrance and admissions.

The court also directed the authorities to maintain the 50:50 ratio between the merit and reserved categories

Read also: Telangana: Appeal filed against NTR university over GO 550, counselling remains delayed

admission processBDS AdmissionscouncellingGO 550GO 550 quashedGO Ms 550 para 5(2)HRDAHyderabad High CourtKaloji Narayana Rao University of Health SciencesMahesh KumarMBBSMBBS admissionsmedical council of IndiaNTRUHSProf B Karunakar ReddyregistrarSCSupreme CourtTelanganaVice-ChancellorWarangal

Source : with inputs

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Geeta Sharma Sharma