A large number of merit students in Karnataka aspiring to do courses in various branches of medicine and B Pharm are in a quandary as the private colleges are not accepting their applications following a Supreme Court Order of October 31, 2002. The order has stated that the state government will have no say in selecting the students for private colleges.

The Supreme Court order permitted private college managements to choose students based on merit, irrespective of government rank lists and seat allotment processes such as the Common Entrance Test (CET).

A highly placed official in the medical education department said, "To be frank, these private colleges are behaving in a very nasty manner after the SC judgement."

Colleges are sending back the students chosen by the Education department after various tests. There are cases where some students who secured seats in engineering gave it up for pursuing a bachelor's degree in pharmacy considering the potential of this segment. Some of these candidates waited for the B Pharm selection in October and went to the allotted colleges. But the colleges said that all the seats have been filled under the management quota as allowed by the Supreme Court.

When some of the students along with their parents approached the director of medical education Dr. R Seethalakshmi, they were asked to take the legal recourse. Students who spoke to Pharmabiz.com said they were in the lurch after having lost half an academic year.

According to Dr. Seethalakshmi, "Private colleges cannot refuse the government quota just to charge huge donations. We have written to the colleges. If they still do not respond, we will ask Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGHUS) to disaffiliate them."

This year, for the first time, admissions to para medical and allied medical courses were also done through a CET like counselling.

"We have heard complaints from some students, but the colleges must know all orders are with prospective effect and not retrospective. Admissions are now over, so they cannot dispute the government quota," said a top official from the education department, government of Karnataka.

The Supreme Court judgement comes into effect from next year, informed the official. Meanwhile MBBS and BDS students who had got admission in the just concluded CET special admission round have also faced a similar fate from the medical and dental colleges. This round was held to fill the seats in six colleges, but a reshuffle of students occurred, when students shifted colleges at their will. Almost every medical/dental college has had one or two new admissions.

For admission to the postgraduate medical and dental seats also, aspiring students are tense. The matrix has not been notified so far though it had been issued at least two weeks ago. Dr. AB Malakaraddy, minister for medical education, government of Karnataka said, "The postgraduate matrix will be issued in a day or two .The division of seats is 50 per cent is under management quota and 50 per cent for government admissions."