NGO demands cancellation of AIIMS MBBS counselling, alleges SC order violation

An NGO has urged Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to stop the counselling for admission to MBBS course in AIIMS, alleging it was being done in "gross violation" of a Supreme Court order on allotment of seats for reserved category candidates.

In its complaint, NGO Janhit Abhiyan stated that after shifting the common counselling process from off-line to online mode in 2018, the Supreme Court directive has been violated to the extent that seats vacated by reserved category candidates, who had taken admission under open competition to fill the seat through general category, was not going to the reserved category candidates.

The apex court directive stated such vacant seats should be filled with a candidate belonging to reserved category only in order of merit.

In the present counselling process the condition that "if they vacate unreserved seat that will be added to their respective reserve category," has been omitted, which simply means that the seat will go to a candidate belonging to the unreserved category instead of one belonging to reserved category, the NGO said.

"This is in gross violation of the Supreme Court's approval for MBBS counselling process," stated the complaint which has also been marked to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director.

"How any authority can change the reservation process of counselling which was approved by the apex court...The current AIIMS MBBS counselling for session 2019 has to be stopped immediately and the counselling process should be conducted as per judgment of the Supreme Court," the NGO demanded.

The organisation also sought strict action against the officials responsible for violation of the apex court order.