Local candidates denied PG medical seats: AIADMK

Says government allowed private colleges to admit students from outside the U.T.

The AIADMK has slammed the Puducherry Government for failing to help local candidates to join postgraduate courses in private medical colleges in the Union Territory.

AIADMK Legislature Party leader A. Anbalagan told reporters that 84 PG medical seats were available in three private medical colleges affiliated to the Pondicherry University.

He said the government had issued an order on April 1 allowing Manakula Vinayagar Medical College to admit students from all India merit list even during the first round of counselling. The two other colleges then approached the Madras High Court and obtained a stay. Although the case was pending before the High Court, the Puducherry Government had issued an order stating that the seats under the management quota should be surrendered to the All India merit quota so that students from other States could join the PG courses.

Mr. Anbalagan said he had drawn the attention of Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi to the injustice the government had done to the local candidates who could not join the courses. But the Health Secretary had misled Ms. Bedi on the issue and now the colleges had filled a majority of the seats by admitting students from other States. He said counselling could have been held after the High Court issued the necessary orders. In no other State was the interest of the local candidates was sacrificed. Even in the past, admission was put off till September end. Mr. Anbalagan urged the Lt. Governor to order an inquiry into the issue and ensure that the local students were admitted to the PG courses.

Fiat to Centac

Meanwhile, the government on Thursday directed the Centralised Admission Committee (Centac) to complete the PG admissions on or before May 18 against the backdrop of the Madras High Court not vacating the stay on Puducherry Government's order to provide priority to domicile students while filling open merit management quota seats.

The Government had passed an order that unfilled minority quota seats in PG medical courses in PIMS (religious minority – Christian) and Venkateshwara Medical College (linguistic minority) after two rounds of counselling should be filled as open merit management quota seats based on NEET-PG 2018 rank list from among the Puducherry domicile candidates and the fee structure for these seats would be the same as for management quota seats and any left over seats should be treated as management quota seats and filled with students from the All-India merit list.

The two colleges had moved the Madras High Court against the government order. The High Court ordered interim stay as it restricted the intake of candidates from Union Territory of Puducherry.

However, the court did not vacate the interim stay on the government order of April 1 stating the Supreme Court order NEET-based admission for PG courses to ensure meritorious students got the seats. Therefore, the PG admissions had to be completed on Saturday.