Overseas Students at Par with NRI Students for Medical Admissions: Karnataka High court

Bengaluru: The state government has been directed by the Karnataka High Court to consider Overseas Citizens of India for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses.

A High Court division bench headed by Justice HG Ramesh while disposing off petitions filed before it declared that Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders are to be treated at par with Non-Resident Indians (NRI) for admission to various medical courses, based on their eligibility except in the case of the government quota.

Petitioners Soundarua Muthumari and others sought directions from the High Court to the state government in petitions filed by them for considering OCI candidates for admissions against Government Quota seats. Advocate Ajoy Kumar Patil had contended that with the new format of medical seats, OCI students had problems in applying for medical seats under the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). The counsel said that although KEA had made changes allowing OCI students, these students wanted government seats too.

Referring to the 2005 amendment to the Citizenship Act 1955, the petitioners stated that the OCIs are to be treated almost at power with Indians reported City today. The bench however declined OCI students’ plea upholding Rule 5 of 2006 denying them government seats.