Gujarat High Court Stays PG Admissions In A Private Dental Collage

The Gujarat High Court has called the admission process by K M Shah Dental College an eye wash and has said that the institute has tried to 'sabotage' the admission process by with a supposed entrance test held by the on 25th June which was nothing but a show for granting admissions.

The court, had issued a nine-page order on Wednesday, with directions that the stay on admission should continue and has asked the Gujarat University (GU) to check it from giving way admissions to PG students. The private college in Waghodia reportedly refused to admit students based on merit list of the Gujarat University's, and conducted its own entrance exam without the consent of either the R J Shah Committee that looks into admissions and fee structure of SFIs or the Gujarat University.

The advocate Tushar Mehta filed the petition on behalf of Shraddha Gor and others. Me Mehta told the court that college had wished to fill the PG dental seats through a separate common entrance test (CET), not talking to consideration the merit list that had already been prepared by the GU based on the MBBS/BDS marks and the CET that they had conducted. The petition also stated that the process of admission had been completed on the 26th June along with the admissions to 15% NRI seats.

The college on Wednesday told the court that all the 23 admitted students had already paid their fees. Justice Akhil Kureshi had also noted that the admissions to 15% NRI seats were finalised by 11.30 am on June 26, which was the last date for admissions. Out rightly rejecting their submission the court declared that the college authorities could not have possibly known all these facts precisely. It further charged the college with trying to 'mislead the court.'

The court also observed the fact that the college had sidestepped the official procedure, and conducted an entrance test on June 25, declaring a merit list the following day. The court stating that there is no reason for the collage to prepare and implement the merit list the same day, took note that the college had collected Rs 1.5 lakh as fees from each student on June 26 though the counselling was to be held on June 27. The court observed and said that it was impossible to comprehend that 23 students would have been waiting outside the collage premises with Rs1.5 lakh as fees.

The presiding judge observed, "It is my strong prima facie feeling that through such hurried and non-transparent method, admissions to PG are sought to be granted. Claims of meritorious students are ignored. This cannot be allowed to continue." It was stated that Mansukh Shah, is the President of Association of Self-Financed Medical and Dental Colleges of Gujarat, and he is also the institute's managing trustee, BJ Pandya a leader of the BJP is another of the trustees.