The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government to include the state's Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) in the ongoing counselling for admissions in post graduate medical and diploma courses.The vacation bench of Justice L.Nageswara Rao and Justice Navin Sinha however said that the addition of the Wardha-based institute would in no way disturb the outcome of the first round of online counselling has already taken place. Counselling for its 60 odd post graduate, that would commence from Wednesday, would not include any seats under the institutional preference category, it said.The government-aided rural medical college was established as Mahatma Gandhi Centenary project.The court order came after Maharashtra's standing counsel Nishant Katneshwarkar, on instructions from the state government, told the court that it was possible to include the MGIMS in the counselling only if May 31 deadline for completing the process was extended by another eight days.
He said that the entire process has to be done afresh including recall of earlier first round of online counselling that has already taken place. Counsel also told the court that in Maharashtra there was no institutional preferences for admissions.Katneshwarkar also told the bench that it was a recognised institution with relatively low fee structure and thus many would like to opt for admission in it.However, Justice Nageswara Rao said that it would be made part of the ongoing counselling without disturbing the counselling that had already taken place. The MGIMS had run into trouble after the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on March 23 struck down the provision that mandated an year of rural service by students of MGIMS to be eligible for applying for admission to post graduate medical courses.The other provision that failed the high court's scrutiny was the one obliging aspiring candidates to give an undertaking that they would not prepare for any other post-graduate medical examinations in Maharashtra.The top court order came in the hearing of a petition by the MGIMS challenging the high court order.Further hearing in the matter would be held on May 31.