Special hearing for PG medical admission row

A division bench comprising Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice RMT Teekaa Raman on noting that disposing of the matter involving complex issues at the stage of admission would not be proper, sought the counsels on both sides to approach the chief justice to constitute a special bench for hearing the matter during summer vacation, which begins on May 1, or to move vacation bench of the court for early hearing and disposal of the case. 

The bench held, “This court is of the further view that a comprehensive hearing needs to be given with regard to the allocation of 25 per cent of the seats towards general merit candidates and 25 per cent towards in-service candidates based on the areas as is notified in the prospectus — rural area/difficult area/remote area/hilly area — keeping in mind the guidelines formulated by MCI visa-vis the autonomy given to the state government in the matter of allocation of seats with further reference to the marks and incentives to be given to the candidates based on their accommodation in the notified areas.” 

The bench was hearing a batch of appeals against a single judge order dated April 17, which ruled that the state government must adhere to MCI’s latest regulations with regard to awarding of marks for government doctors serving in remote areas. 

While the state has an incentive scheme of one mark each per year for all govt doctors, besides two marks for those serving in four types of remote areas, MCI has said those serving in remote and difficult areas must be awarded 10 per cent of their NEET scores for every year of service, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent.