The Madras High Court on Friday ordered that students who had applied for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in government medical and dental colleges, as well as in government seats at private colleges, should compulsorily produce their Aadhaar cards at the time of counselling scheduled to be held next month.
Justice N. Kirubakaran passed the interim order on a batch of writ petitions filed last year by candidates who complained that many students from the State could not gain admission to colleges here because natives of other States garnered a considerable number of seats by making false claims of being residents of Tamil Nadu.
The petitioners had claimed that as many as 1,269 students from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry were in possession of dual nativity certificates and they had had applied for medical counselling in their native States as well as in Tamil Nadu though the State quota seats were meant only for the natives of a particular State.
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Original copy
After directing Assistant Solicitor General G. Karthikeyan to verify whether the petitioners’ claim was true, the judge ordered that production of original Aadhar card along with a photocopy must be made mandatory for the counselling to be held next month for admission to medical courses for the academic year 2018-19.
The judge also recorded the submissions made by many lawyers, present in the court hall at the time of hearing of the case on Friday, that production of Aadhaar card at the time of medical counselling had been mandatory in many other States. Hence, Tamil Nadu should also follow suit and insist on Aadhaar, he held.
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“To confirm that the genuine State candidates are benefited under the State quota, it is appropriate to make the production of Aadhar card and a photocopy of the same compulsory at the time of counseling. By the said method, the students from other States could be prevented from getting the benefit under the State quota,” the interim order read.
The judge went on to direct the Selection Committee, directorate of medical education to inform all applicants about the court order, within two days, on production of Aadhaar through short messaging service, newspaper publications and by hosting information on websites www. tnhealth.org and www.tnmedicalselection. org