Mumbai: Bombay High Court has refused to entertain a petition filed by a private medical college seeking permission to conduct an institutional round at its level to fill vacant seats after the state’s counselling process, calling it “premature”.Aurangabad Bench of HC observed that granting any interim relief would disrupt the admission process and its schedule. It directed the petitioners to approach Supreme Court to seek an extension of the admission cut-off date and permission to fill seats at their level, if they are vacant after the state’s last round. Colleges which have challenged the state decision are likely to file a special leave petition in the apex court.The court was hearing the petition filed by Parbhani Medical College. The college was among a few other private ones in the state which had moved court against the state decision to discontinue the institutional round. An institutional round is conducted to fill vacant seats after the state CET cell’s regular rounds. Following complaints about the manner in which institutional rounds are conducted in private medical colleges, the state, to bring in more transparency, decided to do away with it this year. The decision brought the counselling process for 100% seats in private medical colleges under the CET cell’s purview.After the ongoing stray round at the CET cell, there are only two vacant seats at Parbhani Medical College. However, two other colleges from Palghar and Karjat that also moved court have higher vacancies. Data from the cell shows Palghar’s Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences has around 45 vacant seats while Karjat’s Tasgaonkar Medical Institute has 15. Their matter did not come up before the board. Sources said the colleges are likely to move Supreme Court.The court, while hearing Parbhani College’s plea, noted admission rounds are remaining and therefore, “the apprehension of the petitioners that seats will remain vacant, is not well founded.” The court said after the last round, if seats remain vacant, “the petitioners will have to approach the apex court to seek extension of cut-off date for admissions and to seek permission to enable it to fill up vacant seats.” It, however, admitted the college’s legal position that manual counselling can be held after centralised admissions. The college also sought permission for admissions at institution level from 5 pm to midnight on the last cut-off date, which is Oct 26.The college said it only wants to ensure all its seats are occupied to not incur financial loss. Opposing the plea, the admission regulatory body said there are practical difficulties in creating separate waitlists for individual colleges.
