PIL filed to set aside GOs on removing quota for in-service medicos

HYDERABAD: A Public Interest Litigation petition was filed in the Hyderabad High Court with a plea to set aside the GOs 21 and 22 issued by the Telangana government on March 20, 2018, for awarding marks in place of reservation for in-service candidates and for earmarking 50 per cent of the PG seats in government medical colleges to all-India quota. It sought directions to the authorities concerned to make admissions to MD/MS/PG Degree/diploma courses as per GO 27 issued by the State Medical and Health department on April 10, 2017.

Petitioners Dr M Vasurchana Reddy and 12 others, working as civil assistant surgeons/medical officers, in their petition submitted that as per GO 27 i.e. “Telangana Medical Colleges (Admission into PG medical courses) Rules, 2017”, 30 per cent of the seats in clinical broad specialities and 50 per cent of the seats in pre and para clinical broad specialities for degree and diploma courses are reserved for in-service candidates. 

Hence, the medical officers/civil assistant surgeons serving in the State are eligible for in-service quota for admission into PG courses. The said percentage should continue to be in operation in terms of Section 95 of the AP Reorganization Act, 2014, for 10 years. The State government has no power or authority to meddle with the admission quota of the seats existing as on June 2, 2014, they contended.

The petitioners further said that the impugned GOs which were issued based on the proposals of the Vice-Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Warangal, would run contrary to the law declared by the Parliament Act 6 of 2014. They would be put to irreparable loss unless stay was granted with regard to allocation of students treating the 50 per cent of the seats in Telangana as all India quota, they added.