Supreme Court clears decks for online counselling for PG medical seats

Process to begin from May 1; now candidates can exercise their choice by using Internet from anywhere

The Supreme Court on Friday permitted the Union Health Ministry to go ahead with online counselling from May 1 for filling postgraduate medical seats under the 50 per cent all-India quota in government colleges.

A Bench of Justices Deepak Verma and K.S. Radhakrishnan gave the nod for the Ministry's proposal after senior counsel Ashok Bhan explained the schedule. The entrance examination results were expected in a couple of days and personal counselling, which should commence on March 27 under the present system, could be dispensed with if online counselling was approved. If permitted, it could begin on May 1, counsel said.

A proposal for online counselling for undergraduate courses for 2012-13 would also be submitted to the court shortly.

Under the online system of seats allotment, candidates need not come to the counselling centre. He/she can exercise his/her choice by using Internet from anywhere. Even for the second and third counselling, he/she can follow the same procedure. The National Informatics Centre is making the online counselling process.

Under the online system, the college, subject and seats will be identified for the open category, the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the Other Backward Classes and the physically handicapped. Identification will be done by arranging seats alphabetically, State-wise, college-wise, degree subjects and then PG diploma subjects.

In its application, the Health Ministry said that since the number of seats available under the all-India quota in both PG and undergraduate courses had increased over the years, it was not possible to complete counselling by personal appearance within the prescribed time limit. Further, the online system would benefit candidates, including physically challenged persons, girl students and their parents, who were now required to undertake a long journey.

At present, there was provision for two rounds of counselling. Under online counselling, there would be three rounds, ensuring that most of the seats were filled.

The Ministry sought the following modifications: Candidates, five times the number of seats available for allotment to all qualified aspirants, will be given chance to participate in online counselling; candidates will have the right to choose from seats available in a particular category without any restriction on the number of choices of course and college; each candidate will be given 10 days' joining time; the allotment made will be final; candidates who do not register for online allotment process during the notified dates or who do not fill up their choice, online, for allotment or those who do not join the allotted course/college within the stipulated time will forfeit their claim for a seat under the all-India quota scheme.

At the end of the counselling period, the vacant seats will be surrendered to the respective States.

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Supreme Court clears decks for online counselling for PG medical seats