PG Medical Admissions at GMCH-32: UT quota selection criteria changed by High Court for

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court in an effort to facilitate implementation of the judgment set to bring about changes in the selection lists of MBBS students in the ongoing admissions for the postgraduate degree courses, at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, decided to change its earlier directive. This directive earlier called for postgraduate seats of UT quota to be limited to only those MBBS students who have completed their graduation in Chandigarh.

With 125 postgraduate seats at GMCH-32 — 63 fall in the All India quota and 62 are reserved for UT Chandigarh. 15 percent of these 62 are reserved for Scheduled Castes. The UT pool seats had earlier been reserved for those students who have completed their MBBS from the city.

A division bench of Justice Rajbir Sehrawat and Justice Mahesh Grover held that while the 63 All India quota seats will remain as they are, the 62 UT Chandigarh seats at GMCH-32 will be given a 50% reservation (31) for the students who have completed their MBBS from the college.

What is yet not clear is whether the remaining 50 percent (31) of the UT pool seats will be merged with the All India quota or will be reserved for students possessing a Chandigarh domicile.

An interim order on May 7 issued by the court said "we are prima facie of the opinion that one Medical College in Chandigarh has introduced an element of arbitrariness in the process. There is only one Medical College in the City of Chandigarh and with the allocation of 62 seats out of which 15% have to be deducted for Scheduled Castes, the remaining would be filled up from the incumbents who have passed M.B.B.S. examination from this very institute resulting in 100% institutional preference," reported the TNIE.

Announcing postponement of Postgraduate course counseling on Tuesday the GMCH-32 in a notice stated, "On the basis of pronouncement of judgment in CWP 8962/2018 titled Dr Chahat Bhatia Vs. GMCH & other and similar other connected cases, as well as on the advice tendered by the Senior Standing Counsel, the MD/MS mop-up round/counselling, which was scheduled on 15.05.2018 at 4 p.m., is deferred till further orders."

According to sources, the High Court judgment may stand challenged in the Supreme Court because it would lead to many alterations in the names of students selected for postgraduate courses.