Bombay High Court to pass verdict on private college admissions

The Bombay high court is likely to give its verdict on Monday on a petition filed by private unaided medical colleges against a government order directing them to give preference to sons of the soil while admitting students based on the NEET ranking. According to senior advocates it is hard to predict which way the verdict will go as it not only deals with the right of the institutions to carry out their trade guaranteed as per Article 19 (1) (g) of the Constitution, but also deals with the problem faced by students in Maharashtra when they seek admission in other states where they have adopted the domicile rule.

On Wednesday, a division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice M.S. Sonak had heard the petitioners, with senior counsels Vineet Naik and M.M. Vashi representing them. Acting Advocate General Rohit Deo had appeared for the state of Maharashtra, which is the respondent.

The state had issued two circulars in August and an amended one in September, directing private unaided medical colleges to give preference to students from Maharashtra over students from outside the state for admissions to the 85 per cent seats that had to be filled based on NEET rankings.

Mr Deo had argued, “The reasonableness has to be ascertained from the standpoint of the beneficiary class (i.e. Maharashtra students), and not the students who come from outside the state. When our students go to other states, they have to face the same problem probably 10-11 states have similar legislations in place.”