HC asks chief secy to examine lapses in norms for PG medical college admissions

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has asked Haryana chief secretary to set up a committee to examine serious lapses committed to notify the procedure for admission into post graduate courses in private and government medical colleges.

HC also asked the government to compensate three petitioners with ₹ 1 lakh each and other candidates who can lose admission or get less preferred branch due to May 5 notification, which has been quashed by court.

The high court bench of justice Rajesh Bindal, while cancelling the admissions, also asked the chief secretary to take remedial measures for the future and apprise the court on October 30.

The order came on the petitions in which 20% marks against the NEET score notified by the government in April to those candidates who were working in state’s rural areas were challenged. But, on May 5, the government came out with another notification that notified difficult and remote areas in supersession of the earlier notification.

This notification was carried out after a petition in the high court alleging that weightage proposed by the state can’t be given to candidates of rural areas as it will be in violation of Supreme Court orders. On May 5, to defeat the points raised in petition, the government notified 68 community health centres (CHCs) and 268 primary health centres (PHCs), as falling in remote and difficult areas.

However, the court found that out of 68 CHCs, 12 were in municipal committees/councils and ten places are sub- divisions of the concerned districts. Besides, a number of CHCs and PHCs mentioned in the notification are located along national or state highways.

The HC observed that the entire exercise was done in a hurry without examination of facts and records. “In a state like Haryana, such a high percentage of community health centres and primary health centres cannot be located in difficult and remote areas,” said.

HC also directed that in future the state should notify procedure for admission to PG courses well in advance.

COUNSELLING FOR 150ODD MD AND MS SEATS IS BEING CARRIED OUT BY PT B D SHARMA UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, ROHTAK