Assam: Gauhati High Court directs allocation of 371 state quota seats in PG medical course

The Gauhati High Court on Friday directed the state government to allocate the 288 original state quota seats
PG medical course
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Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Friday directed the state government to allocate the 288 original state quota seats, along with a 25 percent increase in seats numbering 83 seats to implement the 10 percent quota for Economically Weaker Section (EWS), bringing the total to 371 for a revised first round of counselling for admission in post-graduate (PG) medical courses.

Justice Michael Zothankhuma passed the order in two petitions in WP(C) No.6640/2024 and WP(C) No.6812/2024, which were heard and disposed of together as both pertained to reservation in admission into the PG courses in the medical colleges of Assam for the year 2024.

The grievance of the petitioners in WP(C) No.6640/2024, who are unreserved category MBBS degree holders, is that the implementation of the 10% reservation quota for the EWS required a corresponding 25% increase in the total seats. However, the state respondents did not make any corresponding 25% increase in the PG seats while implementing a 10% reservation for the EWS in the first round of counselling, which was held on November 18, 2024. The increase of seats by 25% was done only in the 2nd round of counselling, on the court's orders, that too by introducing an additional 51 seats only, instead of 83 seats. The prayer of the petitioners is to direct the respondents to increase the seats for counselling from 51 to 83.

The petitioners in WP(C) No.6812/2024 are reserved category MBBS graduates, who do not belong to the EWS category. Their grievance is that the corresponding increase of 25% seats of the total PG seats for implementation of the reservation of 10% quota seats for the EWS, numbering 51, which was introduced in the 2nd round of counselling, had not been allocated/distributed as per the Reservation Policy of Assam.

The state respondents had allocated all the 51 PG seats solely for the unreserved quota candidates, without adding the 51 seats to the total State Medical PG seats, which would have entailed a fresh calculation with regard to the number of seats to be allocated to the different reserved categories, thereby allowing for the petitioners to have a larger field of choice in the courses/subjects offered.

The petitioners are all PG medical aspirants who have obtained their MBBS degree from various recognized medical colleges within Assam and aim to pursue PG medical degree courses, admissions to which are regulated through the NEET-PG.

Out of all the total PG medical seats available in various disciplines in Assam, 50% are allocated under the All India quota, and the remaining 50% are earmarked for the State quota. In Assam, the merit position of the candidates in the NEET-PG examination is the basis for determining their eligibility for allocating their state quota seats.

As the issue raised by the petitioners in both the petitions was inter-related, the writ petitions were decided by this common judgement and order.

The court, therefore, directed the state government to put up the 288 original state quota PG seats, along with the 25% increase of the state quota seats numbering 83 seats, i.e., a total of 371 seats, for the 1st round of counselling. Though this Court has directed the restart of the first round of counselling to enable the most meritorious candidates to have the best choices of seats/subjects, the choices already made by the PG candidates in the 1st round of counselling should not be disturbed.

However, the PG candidates who have already been allotted a seat/course/subject in the 1st round of counselling shall be given an option to further choose and be allotted another seat/course/subject in the new 1st round of counselling to be held pursuant to this order.

The above direction has been passed due to the fact that it is not known what seat/subject/course will remain for the 2nd round of counselling for the various categories of candidates. Moreover, as the last date of joining in the college for the PG courses is February 28, 2025, keeping in mind the paucity of time, the state respondents were directed to allocate/distribute the 371 PG seats as per the Reservation Policy of the State and restart the counselling as per the directions and observations made in this judgement and order. Both the writ petitions were disposed of accordingly.

 Also Read: Domicile-Based Reservation For PG Medical Admissions Unconstitutional: Supreme Court

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