Class 10 and 12 from Maharashtra mandatory for medical admissions

Admissions to medical and dental seats under the 85% state quota seats are likely to face some legal trouble once again.

Going against the rules for state domicile quota seats that were followed last year, the Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DMER) has once again demanded that only students who have cleared Class 10 and Class 12 from the state and possess a valid domicile certificate (proof of living in the state for 15 years) will be eligible for admissions to the 85% seats in government and private medical and dental colleges.

This same rule was meant to be implemented by DMER last year, but was stayed by the Bombay high court’s Aurangabad bench. Last year, two out of the three criteria were accepted at the time of admissions.

However, despite agreeing to continue the same rule this year, the recently released information brochure for 2018-19 admissions makes it compulsory for all students to follow all three criteria to be eligible for state quota seats.

A group of parents and students are meeting lawyers to file a petition against the domicile criteria in the Bombay high court.

“Since no one has complained against the criteria as yet, we are going to go ahead with the compulsion on SSC, HSC and domicile certificate for admission eligibility. Anyone who has a problem with it will have to go to court,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, DMER.

He said he is also open to discussions with parents and students.

Students are already unhappy with this rule. “My daughter has a valid domicile from Maharashtra and also finished her Class 12 education from the state. However, due to work my commitments, we had shifted to another state during her Class 9 and 10 and therefore she completed Class 10 from another state, which makes her non-eligible for state quota seats,” said a parent.

Parents were also unhappy about the last minute changes to eligibility rule introduced by DMER.