The Punjab and Haryana High Court has cancelled the Punjab government’s notification under which changes were made in the rules of admission of MBBS and BDS courses through NRI quota in medical colleges in the state. The bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetrapal, while accepting the petitions filed against the government’s decision, said that widening the scope of the definition of NRI through the notification issued on August 20 is completely inappropriate. On August 20, the state government issued a notification widening the NRI category for MBBS admission. Their family members from the NRI category were also allowed to enter.
The court said, ‘Initially, the objective of the NRI quota was to benefit NRIs and their children, so that they could access educational opportunities in India. Expanding the scope of the definition to include distant relatives like uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins has diluted the main objective of the NRI quota. Expanding the definition of NRI opens the way for misuse of this quota by allowing persons who are not eligible for it to avail these seats. By granting quota to ineligible candidates, the most qualified candidates may be marginalised.
Earlier, on August 28, while acting on the petition filed by Geeta Verma and several other candidates for admission to MBBS/BDS courses, the High Court had stayed the notification changing the rules. The petitioners pointed out that the prospectus for admission to medical courses was issued on August 9. After the form was filed, on August 20, the state government illegally changed the NRI quota rules in the middle of the admission process. In this regard, if NRI quota seats remain vacant, candidates who are close relatives of NRIs will be allowed admission in MBBS from NRI quota.
The petitioners also alleged that another notification was issued on August 22, suddenly creating a 15 per cent NRI quota in an institution. General quota seats were reduced to this quota in Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali.
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How many seats are up for grabs?
Around 185 NRI seats for MBBS and 196 seats for BDS are admitted under NRI quota in all medical and dental colleges of Punjab. The fees for an MBBS seat in government and private medical colleges are around Rs 92 lakh and for a BDS seat is around Rs 36 lakh. 15 per cent of the total seats in private and government medical colleges of Punjab are reserved for NRI quota candidates.
The court said that due to the new NRI quota rules, people become guardians by simply claiming to have looked after that student. This provision is vague and lacks clear criteria. This creates the possibility of manipulation in the admission process.
This undermines the merit-based admissions process and disadvantages students who may be more academically qualified.
It was also pointed out that the government has also allowed candidates to change categories when the admission process was about to end. This is also doubtful. The court ordered the government to complete the admission process as per the original prospectus.
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