Date:06/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/06/stories/2008080656770100.htm

Front Page

Entrance test of 6 medical colleges quashed

Staff Reporter

Test held for 35% management seats
Test followed pact with State government

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday quashed the entrance test conducted by a consortium of six self-financing medical college managements on July 27 last.

The six medical colleges, which form the Kerala Private Medical College Managements Association, are not entitled to make admission on the basis of the rank list prepared in pursuant to the test, an order issued by Justice S. Sirijagan on a petition filed by Fatima Haneena P. from Karanthur, Kozhikode, said.

[The six colleges had entered into an agreement with the State government on seat sharing and fee structure. Under the agreement, 50 per cent of the seats are to be filled on merit from the rank list prepared by the Commissioner of Entrance Examinations (CEE) on the basis of a common entrance test held by it. Thirty-five per cent of the seats are set apart as management quota and 15 per cent as NRI quota. The consortium conducted the entrance test for the 35 per cent management quota. ]

Petitioner’s plea

The petitioner had sought cancellation of the test as it was held in violation of the time schedule drawn up by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and approved by the Supreme Court. She had submitted that the test was conducted without the permission of the Admission Supervisory Committee headed by P.A. Mohammed.

Adherence to the time schedule fixed by the MCI would go a long way in ensuring “fair, transparent and non-exploitatory” admission procedures, the court said.

According to the MCI schedule, the entrance test should be conducted before May 30 and first counselling completed before July 25.

The entire process of admission has to be supervised by the Admission Supervisory Committee for ensuring that it is fair, transparent and non-exploitatory, the court said. The respondents ought to have sought the approval of the Admission Supervisory Committee from the beginning of the admission process. But it was not consulted at any stage of the process. There was clear violation of Section 4 of the Kerala Professional Colleges Act of 2006 in conducting the impugned test, the court said.