Kerala-based private medical college managements on Thursday withdrew their plea before the Supreme Court for a separate entrance test to fill up the managements seats.
Their withdrawal came after the Kerala government, through an affidavit, informed a three-judge Bench led by Justice H.L. Dattu that an agreement on seat-sharing based on a “differential fee structure” was already in existence between the State government and the Kerala Private Medical College Management Association.
SC refusalIn the previous hearing, the Bench had refused the association’s suggestion to conduct a separate entrance test for admission to management quota seats, which comes to 50 per cent of the total seats in a private medical college.
The colleges had missed the May 31, 2014 deadline set by the Supreme Court for the exams.
The affidavit explained to the Bench that this consensual agreement had even worked out the modalities in case the management association was not permitted to conduct a separate entrance test – as is the case now.
The agreement was notified through a Government Order on July 17, the affidavit, filed through standing counsel Ramesh Babu, added.
Fees structureAs per clause 8 of the agreement, private colleges can fill up 35 per cent of its management seats with students from the government merit list willing to pay an annual tuition fee of Rs.8 lakh. The rest of the 15 per cent seats are meant for students in the Non-Resident Indian category.
The State government denied causing any delay on its part to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court.
In fact, the affidavit accuses the college managements of earlier “evading” the State’s moves to reach a consensual agreement on sharing management seats.
MCI permission“Moreover, some of the medical colleges under the association have not obtained renewal of permission from the Medical Council of India due to certain deficiencies. There was no delay at all on the part of the government for execution of consensual agreement. In fact, the government was persuading them to enter into an agreement on seat-sharing,” the affidavit signed by Sheela Chandran, Additional Secretary (Law), Government of Kerala, said.
The State adds a self-congratulatory note, saying it was its “earnest steps” which finally led to the consensual agreement. “We will now issue a notification saying that government merit list students willing to pay Rs.8 lakh for MBBS course and Rs.4.5 lakh for BDS course can seek admission through management quota,” advocate Haris Beeran, private colleges’ counsel, reacted.