A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court comprising Justice V. Ramasubramanian and Justice T. Rajani on Thursday declared that open category seats in super speciality medical courses in the NTR and Kaloji Health Universities would be filled up, based upon NEET ranking and on India-level competition.
The main issue of applicability of Article 371-D, presidential order to the institutions in AP and Telangana in the light of division of State will be decided in final hearing. The bench was passing these interim orders while vacating the stay granted earlier.
Several writ petitions were filed contending that all open seats in institutions affiliated to NTR Health University , Vijayawada and Kaloji University of Health Sciences, Warangal have to be filled based upon the presidential order. Some others opposed this.
The Article 371-D and consequential presidential order mandate that 85 percent seats in a region ( Telangana, Coastal Andhra, and Rayalaseema ) will be reserved for local candidates. The rest 15 percent will be open seats, for all students from the three regions can compete. Thus, all the seats were filled by students from undivided State of AP only.
This academic year the authorities declared that the 15 percent open seats will be thrown open for students from all over India as per NEET rankings. This was contested by several students. Meanwhile, some students got admission in other States as per NEET rankings. Their admissions were sought to be cancelled as the authorities decided to fill all seats here with either AP students or Telangana students.
Interim orders
The court had also granted interim orders to stop the counselling process. Students whose admission in other States was cancelled came to court contending that the 15 percent open seats can be filled by any one from India based upon NEET ranking and many students from AP and Telangana got the admissions in other states.
The bench traced the history of formation of Andhra in 1952 and then formation of AP after the merger of Telangana coastal and Rayalseema (ceded) districts. The bench reminded that Article 371-D and the consequential Presidential order were brought into existence to deal with the ‘peculiar’ circumstances prevailing in Telangana and Andhra area and aspirations of Telangana.
The bench said that the case will be heard in detail on September 11 and said that the 15 percent open seats shall be filled as per national level competition.