HC gives reprieve to medical students

 The High Court special bench has allowed their petition challenging the universities’ denial of admission.

The division bench comprising Justice V Gopal Gowda and Justice Dr Bhaktavatsala dismissed the petition of the deemed universities stating that neither the UGC nor the Central government can impose rules to surrender 25 percent of their seats to the State.
The bench, allowing the writ petitions by the students, who were denied admission as well as those students admitted under management quota observed, “Both the universities have acted contrary to the undertaking given by them to the State and has put the students in trouble.”

As per the Court directions, the students selected through the KEA should be admitted but at the same time students admitted under management quota should not be disturbed. Accordingly, if the intake of the universities exceeds 100 seats, the admission of those students after the cut-off of 100 seats should be considered from the academic year 2010-2011, without any extra payment or any selection process. On the State’s quota filled up by the universities, the Court said that both the universities should surrenderseats already filled up to the State during the next academic year.

Twenty five students had moved the High Court challenging the universities denying admission to them, while the students appointed under management quota too moved the HC fearing the loss of admissions. The universities had contended that they being deemed universities, neither the Centre nor the UGC had powers to fix norms to them. They sought that those admitted through KEA should pay fees fixed by them and not the one fixed by the State government. The State had submitted that the two deemed universities had themselves given an undertaking that they would surrender 25% of the seats to government in both PG and UG courses. Under the UGC Act, deemed universities are supposed to accept the State government policy regarding admissions.