The High Court on Tuesday directed the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences to re-allot the postgraduate medical seat to Dr Arpitha A whose allotment was cancelled to favour another candidate on the recommendation of a Lok Sabha member and the Medical Council of India.

Dr Arpitha had approached the court after the seat allotted to her for a postgraduate course in Gynaec-Oncology at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bengaluru was cancelled to accommodate one Dr Renuka Gupta from New Delhi. Arpitha had secured the seat scoring 0.5 marks more than Dr Gupta in the Post Graduate Entrance Test. Later, Dr Gupta, through her various contacts got a recommendation letter from a Lok Sabha member, which was forwarded to the  Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and to the Medical Council of India. The ministry and the MCI made a recommendation to the RGUHS, which granted one additional mark to Dr Gupta and allotted the said seat to her. However, the basis for granting the additional mark to Dr Gupta was not established.

A division bench comprising Justices N Kumar and G Narendar said that the grant of additional mark was illegal and against principles of natural justice. The court directed that Kidwai Institute and RGUHS continue to pay stipend to Dr Arpitha and allowed her petition. It also directed the institute and the varsity to provide a seat to Dr Gupta, if there was a provision.

Notice ordered
The High Court on Tuesday ordered notice to the BBMP and Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy in a petition against construction taken up on 10 guntas in survey number 60/3 of Bommanahalli in Beguru hobli. The petitioner, N R Ra-mesh, had contended a few persons, including the MLA were putting up a construction on the land meant for a park. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath ordered notice and adjourned the hearing.