File written statement by Aug 8 on seats filled for MBBS'

The Madras High Court today directed the Secretary, Selection Committee, Director of Medical Education to file a written statement by August 8 on seats filled up as of today for the MBBS course for the 2014-15 academic year.
Justice V Ramasubramanyan gave this direction when a petition filed by a minor T Ramanujam, represented by his father T Thangarasu, seeking a direction to the authorities to relax the minimum age requirement for admission in MBBS course for the 2014-15 academic year came up.
"The Secretary, Selection Committee, Director of Medical Education is directed to file a written statement to the court by August 8 as to whether all seats have been filled up as on today in the MBBS course," the judge said.

The petitioner said he is an agricultural labourer from a poor economic background. His son had secured 1101 out of 1200 marks in 12th standard and got 194.50 cut-off marks in Physics, Chemistry and Biology and aspired to become a doctor.
He applied for the MBBS course and was awaiting counselling. But the provisional merit list did not contain his name. When he approached the Selection committee, he was told his son could not be admitted to the MBBS course as he would not complete 17 years of age as on December 31 2014.
Thangarasu submitted his son then made a representation to the Chief Minister, requesting her to intervene and had sought help for which they are awaiting a positive response.

He further submitted that though Medical Council of India Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997, prescribes that a candidate has to complete 17 years as on December of the year of admission in the course, it had inherent powers to relax the minimum age requirement.

He also submitted that the Chief Education officer, Namakkal, had issued orders relaxing the minimum age requirement for his son to appear for the higher secondary examination. Similarly, in an extraordinary case of this nature, MCI could certainly exercise its powers to give relief to his son to enable him serve society.
Hence, he prayed for a direction from the court to the Secretary, Selection Committee, Director of Medical Education, Kilpauk, to relax minimum age requirement for MBSS admission.

When the matter came up before Justice V Ramasubramanian today, Additional government pleader Sanjay Gandhi submitted that all medical seats in government medical colleges and other medical colleges had already been filled up.
But the petititoner's counsel refuted this statement.
After hearing both sides, the Judge directed the Secretary, Selection Committee, to furnish details of whether all seats have been filled up by August 8 2014.