Maharashtra: private medical colleges in the state not allowed to conduct own entrance test

Maharashtra: In a recent ruling by the apex court, private medical colleges in Maharashtra have been denied permission to hold their own common entrance test (CET) for medical and dental college admissions.

A formal notification by the Supreme Court dismissed a plea by the association of Maharashtra's private medical colleges on the subject.In other words, it means that students seeking admissions in private and state medical colleges will have to appear for a single test conducted by the state CET cell.

This particular case of having a separate entrance test for the private medical colleges was first heard in the Bombay High Court in 2015. The Association of Managements of Unaided and Private Medical and Dental Colleges was only seeking permission for the PG courses offered at the private medical colleges. However, since now the permission has been denied after reaching the doors of the SC, there is little hope left for the association to seek permission of other courses offered at these private medical colleges.

As reported by TOI, The Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fees) Act, 2015, that lays down the state CET clause, was challenged by the Association of Managements of Unaided and Private Medical and Dental Colleges in the Bombay HC in August 2015, and the case finally reached the SC. Though this petition was meant only for the medical postgraduate entrance test, the order is being seen as precedence for all other entrance tests that will be conducted by the state under the provisions of the new act.

A petition challenging the law itself is still pending in the HC. Association chairman Kamal Kishore Kadam said the apex court has asked them to wait for the outcome of the main petition, challenging the law. "We will see if it is possible to file a fresh petition in the HC. The government is taking away several powers given to us by a past SC order. They do not give us any money to run the institutes, how can they seek control over them?" asked Kadam. "Some of our institutes are ready to run into losses, but we will not fill our seats with students allotted by the state government," he added.