HC quashes Haryana’s PG medical admissions

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 9

Acting on a petition challenging the postgraduate medical admissions, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today quashed the first counselling conducted by Haryana. A compensation of Rs 1 lakh was also awarded to every student admitted on the basis of first counselling.

The direction came on a petition filed by Dr Narinder Soni. He had challenged a provision listed in the prospectus for admission to MD/MS/PG diploma courses for the 2017 session. 

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 The contention was that the institutional preference granted by the state and the incentives given to in-service HCMS doctors in the prospectus were against regulation 9 of the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, framed by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Counsel Manpreet Singh Longia said the MCI was an expert body. Regulation 9 framed by it was a complete code in itself for making medical admission. It was argued the incentive in the form of marks to in-service HCMS doctors could only be given for services rendered in notified difficult/ remote areas and not in all rural areas. The state, meanwhile, issued a notification dated May 5, wherein institutional preference was withdrawn from the prospectus and the criteria for the grant of incentive to the HCMS doctors at 10% of the marks obtained for each year, with a cap of 30%, was notified along with the list of difficult/remote areas. Issuing the notification, the Haryana authorities included municipal committees and sub-divisions in the list of remote/difficult areas. The petitioners contended this action on part of the state wasn’t in sync with regulations. Accepting the contention, the Bench quashed the notification.