SC Asks the Medical Universities of AP and Telangana to Explain their Sliding Method
Some medical universities of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana receive a notice from the Supreme Court. They have been asked to explain their allotment of seats by the sliding process.
The Supreme Court has given notices to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, the health universities in these states, the Directorate General of Health Services, and the Union Health Secretary. The notice was sent to these authorities as the Supreme Court has asked them to explain their stance on a public interest petition that has charged them with misinterpretation of sliding rules while filling the postgraduate medical seats.
These notices were given by the bench of Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice S A Bobde and they admitted that the petition was filed by the President of the All India Backward Classes Federation, Justice V Eswaraiah. Justice Eswaraiah asserted that the misinterpretation of sliding rules was affecting the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota adversely in the NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test) admissions.
Also Read: The Postgraduate Medical Seats are to Increase From 2020
Both the government organisations and the laws that were to implement these rules were stating that whenever a candidate of a backward class secures a seat under the open category due to his/her high marks, he/she should not be treated as a reserved candidate but as an open candidate. In the process of online admissions, all meritorious candidates get the facility of choosing their specialty which is irrespective of the specialty subject seat that he/she was allotted initially. This method is called sliding.
However, when a Backward Class candidate slides to a different specialisation of the subject of his choice, the concerned officials vacate the seat meant for a Backward Class candidate and allot them to the Backward Class merit candidates. This results in the seats of backward classes being reduced while the open merit candidates of the BC category are being shown in the BC reserved category. The officials have to keep the BC quota intact despite these slidings as it is compulsory that 27 percent seats have to be filled by OBCs (Other Backward Classes).
Also Read:Postgraduate Seats Taken by Medical Students Without the Completion of Internships
The sliding method is being executed in a faulty manner and is detrimental to the candidates of backward classes. Justice Eswaraiah pointed this out and urged the bench for directing the authorities responsible for admissions to keep the BC quota in mind.