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PETITIONER: ANAND S. BIJI

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: STATE OF KERALA AND ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT22/04/1993

BENCH: JEEVAN REDDY, B.P. (J) BENCH: JEEVAN REDDY, B.P. (J) VENKATACHALA N. (J)

CITATION:  1993 SCR  (3) 337        1993 SCC  (3)  80  JT 1993 (3)   130        1993 SCALE  (2)586

ACT: % Constitution of India, 1950: Articles   136,14-Appeal-All  India  postgraduate   entrance examination  of  1992-Appearance  of  appellant  along  with others-Students   with   lesser  marks  admitted   but   not appellant-Vacant  seats  surrendered  to  State   Government filled  up-Direction  of Supreme Court-Existing  system  and Modified system-Effect of. Education-All  India  post-graduate  entrance   examination- Admission  to M.D./M.S/Diploma and  M.D.S.  courses-Existing system- Modified system-Effect-Directions of Supreme Court.

HEADNOTE: The  appellant  had  appeared  for  All  India   competitive examination.   He was not allotted any seat in  any  college according to the merit-com-preference-cum-eligibility.   His grievance  now is that students with lesser marks  than  him are  being admitted to Colleges in Kerala.  He says that  he may be given a seat in any subject in any of the colleges in Kerala-or  for that matter anywhere else.  After the  first, second  and third lists pertaining to All-India  seats  were published, the remaining vacant seats have been  surrendered to  the State Government already.  The State Government  had already filled almost all of them. Disposing of the appeal, this Court, HELD:1.1. This Court cannot withdraw one seat from the State Government,  at  this belated stag course has begun  in  the month   of  September,  1992  itself-and  give  it  to   the appellant.  Even otherwise it is not certain that there  are no  other  candidates  (who had appeared in  the  All  India competitive  examination) who may have scored  higher  marks than the appellant.  No direction can be given for his being considered  against  the 1993 vacancies because he  has  not appeared for the 1993 examination.  If, in case, any seat in lying  vacant in any of the medical courses in  Kerala,  the second    respondent,   Director   of   Medical    Education Thiruvananthapuram  shall consider admitting  the  appellant against such seat relating to the year 1992. (342 -G) 338 1.02.     The post-graduate courses comprise degree  courses

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as   well  as  diploma  courses.   After  the   results   of examinations  are published, the admissions are made on  the basis  of merit-cum-preference-cum-eligibility with the  aid of a computer. (339-G) 1.03.     According to the system in vogue, a candidate  who applies for admission in the All India quota is required  to indicate  eight  medical colleges and six subjects,  in  the order of preference, to which he seeks admission. (339 -G) 1.04.     In  the  first instance, a list of  admissions  is issued.  But it so happens that for one or the other reason, many of the candidates in the list do not turnup to join the course.   Hence, a second list is issued and then  a  third. But  while preparing the second list or the third list,  the overall  merit-cum-preferencecum-eligibility  is  not  again examined,  with the result that sometimes a  candidate  with lesser  score  gets a better subject than a  candidate  with higher score. (339-H) 1.05.Inspite of promptings from this court, the  authorities in-charge of holding All India competitive examination  have not been able to adhere to the prescribed schedule.  In such a  situation, it is bound to happen that issuance of  second and  third  lists  delay  the  process  of  admission  still further.   By  the  time  the second  and  third  lists  are communicated, half the course is over. (340-D) 1.06.     The  new  system,  in short, is  this:  after  the examination  is over, the results would be published in  the order  of  merit.   The selection committee  will  call  150 candidates a day in the order of merit A chart will be  kept ready  and displayed at all relevant places  indicating  the colleges  and  subjects  wherein the  seats  are  available. Candidates will be called in the order of merit and asked to indicate  his/her choice.  The slot chosen by  him/her  then gets closed.  This procedure will be gone through until  all the seats are filled up.  There would be no second or  third list.   Any  seats  remaining  vacant  thereafter  will   be surrendered to the State Government.  But this  modification will  apply  to and come into effect only for and  from  the admissions  for  the year 1994.  It will not  apply  to  the admissions currently underway. (340-H, 341 -A) 1.07.     In all other respects,-,the scheme in vogue  shall continue to be effective. 339 Dr.  Pradip Jain v Union of India, [1994] 3 S.C.C. 654;  Dr. Dinesh Kumar Motilal Nehru college, [1986] 3 S.C.C. 327; and Dr.    Dinesh  Kumar  v  Motilal  Nehru   College,   [1987]4 S.C.C.459, referred to.

JUDGMENT: CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 1944 of 1993. From  the Judgment and Order dated 21.1.1993 of  the  Kerala High Court in O.P.No. 13371 of 1992. G. Prakash for the Appellant. V.R.  Reddy,  Addl.  Solicitor General, C.V. Subba  Rao,  B. Parthasarthy and R. Sasiprabhu for the Respondents. The following Order of the Court was delivered: Leave granted.  Heard counsel for the parties. Having  regard to the broader considerations of equality  of opportunity, this Court directed in Dr. Pradip Jain v. Union of  India [1984] 3 S.C.C. 654 that a certain  percentage  of seats  in the post-graduate medical courses should  be  made available  to  the  candidates on the  basis  of  All  India Competition.   The percentage was later determined  at  25%. In Dr. Dinesh Kumar v. Motilal Nehru College [1986]3  S.C.C.

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327  this  Court  prescribed a schedule for  the  All  India Competitive  Examination,  which  was  modified  in  certain respects  in  Dr.  Dinesh Kumar  v.  Motilal  Nehru  College [1987]4 S.C.C. 459.  In subsequent decisions, this Court has been impressing upon the concerned authorities the necessity of  adhering to the time-frame prescribed in the  matter  of holding  All  India Competitive Examination and  for  making admissions. According  to the system in vogue, a candidate  who  applies for admission in the All India quota is required to indicate eight  medical  colleges and six subjects, in the  order  of preference, to which he seeks admission.  There are severity medical  colleges/institutions and forty specialities.   The post-graduate  courses  comprise degree courses as  well  as diploma  courses.   After the results  of  examinations  are published,   the  admissions  are  made  on  the  basis   of merit-cum-preference-cum-eligibility  with  the  aid  of   a computer.   In the first instance, a list of  admissions  is issued.  But it so happens that for one or the other reason, many  of the candidates in the list do not turn-up  to  join the  course.   Hence,  a second list is issued  and  then  a third.   But  while preparing the second list or  the  third list,  the overall merit-cum- preference-cum-eligibility  is not again examined, with the result that sometimes 340 a  candidate with lesser score gets a better subject than  a candidate with higher score.  We may illustrate what we say. In  the  first  list,  a candidate with  say  250  marks  is allotted  a seat in M.S. (General Surgery) and  a  candidate with  225 marks is allotted a seat in M.S.  (Opthalomology). Now  for some reason, the candidate allotted a seat in  M.S. (General  Surgery) does not join.  That seat  falls  vacant. When  the second list is taken up, the candidates  available will  necessarily  be those who have secured less  than  225 marks.   Since the  merit-cum-preference-cum-eligibility  is not  determined  overall  again,  what  happens  is  that  a candidate with 220 marks gets M.S. (General Surgery),  while the  candidate  with  225  marks has  to  continue  in  M.S. (Opthalomology),  though  given  a  choice,  he  would  very muchlike  to come into M.S. (General Surgery).   That  there have  been  many such instances, is beyond dispute  and  has been commented upon by the Kerala High Court in the judgment under  appeal.   Besides  the above, there  is  yet  another circumstance.   Inspite of promptings from this  court,  the authorities  in-charge  of  holding  All  India  competitive examination  have not been able to adhere to the  prescribed schedule.   In such a situation, it is bound to happen  that issuance  of  second and third lists delay  the  process  of admission  still further.  By the time the second and  third lists  are  communicated,  half the course  is  over.   This aspect has been agitating us while hearing this appeal. We  have, therefore, discussed this matter  thoroughly  with Sri  V.R.  Reddy,  Additional  Solicitor  General  for   the respondents.   He,  in turn, discussed the matter  with  the concerned  authorities and has placed before us  a  modified scheme  for allotment of the candidates declared  successful in   All  India  post-graduate  entrance   examination   for admission  to M.D./M.S/Diploma and M.D.S. courses.  We  must make  it clear that the modification which we are  proposing herewith  is  only  with  respect to  the  procedure  to  be followed  in the matter of making admission and is  designed to eliminate unequal results, and the delay mentioned above. In   the  place  of  present  requirement  of  a   candidate indicating  his  preference  for  eight  colleges  and   six subjects, on the basis of which admissions are finalised, we

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wish to introduce the system of what is called counselling’, which  is  in  vogue in some of the States  and  is  working satisfactorily.   The learned Additional  Solicitor  General agreed  whole-heartedly  that  this  would  be  a   definite improvement and would eliminate grievances which are arising from the present system and would also help the  authorities to  adhere to the time-frame prescribed by this Court.   The new  system,  in short, is this: after  the  examination  is over, the results would be published in the order of  merit. The  selection committee will call 150 candidates a  day  in the  order  of  merit.   A chart  will  be  kept  ready  and displayed at all relevant places indicating the colleges and subjects  wherein the seats are available.  Candidates  will be  called  in  the order of merit  and  asked  to  indicate his/her  choice.   The  slot chosen  by  him/her  then  gets closed.  This procedure will be gone through 341 until all the seats are filled up.  There would be no second or  third list.  Any seats remaining vacant thereafter  will be   surrendered   to  the  State  Government.    But   this modification will apply to and come into effect only for and from the admissions for the year 1994.  It will not apply to the   admissions  currently  underway.   In  approving   the modifications,  we have kept in mind the fact that  most  of the candidates for post-graduate admissions are employed and have  the means to come to Delhi for a day for  counselling. We, accordingly, approve the modifications, mentioned below, as suggested by the Director General of Health Services, New Delhi. 1.   The All India PG Entrance Examination will be conducted on  second  Sunday of January.  The candidates will  not  be required  to give any choices at the time of  submission  of the application forms. 2.   The  results  will be announced by the  third  week  of February every year. 3.   The  merit list will consists of number  of  candidates equal  to  the number of seats available for  allotment.   A waiting list containing not more than 10% of the merit  list will also be declared from amongst the successful candidates who  have  secured more than 50% marks  in  the  competitive examination. 4.   The  allotment by personal appearance will  start  from the  first of March every year and will continue  upto  15th March. 5.   In the Bulletin of Information the dates for  allotment by  personal  appearance  and the venue  at  Delhi  will  be notified.   The time schedule for personal  appearance  will also be notified alongwith the results in the newspapers. 6.   For personal appearance, the candidates will be  called in batches of 150 each day in the order of merit. 7.   The  candidates shall have the right to choose any  one of  the available seats at his/her rank.  The same  will  be allotted to him/her and the allotment letters will be issued on the next day. 8.   In case a candidate is unable to appear in person on  a notified  date  for  personal appearance,  he/she  can  send his/her   representative  with  an  authority   letter   for allotment.    The   allotment   made   to   the   authorised representative shall be binding on the candidate. 342 9.Each  candidate  shall be given 15 days time to  join  the allotted college and course.  The last date of joining shall be 31st March every year. 10. The allotments made will be firm and final. 11. The candidates who will not appear for allotment on  the

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notified  dates or who will reject the available  seats  for allotment or those who will not join the allotted course and college  by  the 3 1st March shall forfeit the claim  for  a seat under the All India Scheme. 12.All the seats remaining vacant after the allotment  shall be  deemed to have been surrendered back to  the  respective States. In all other respects, the scheme in vogue shall continue to be effective. Now coming to the relief to be granted to the appellant,  we regret,  we  are  not in a position  to  make  any  positive direction.   The  appellant  had  appeared  for  All   India competitive  examination.  He was not allotted any  seat  in any  college  according  to  the   merit-cum-preference-cum- eligibility.  His grievance now is that students with lesser marks than him are being admitted to college in Kerala.   He says  that he may be given a seat in any subject in  any  of the colleges in Kerala-or for that matter anywhere alse.  We are afraid, we cannot do so at this stage.  After the first, second  and third lists pertaining to All-India  seats  were published, the remaining vacant seats have been  surrendered to  the State Government already.  The State Government  has already  filled almost all of them.  We cannot withdraw  one seat from the State Government, at this stage-the course has begun in the month of September, 1992 itself-and give it  to the appellant.  Even otherwise it is not certain that  there are  no other candidates (who had appeared in the All  India competitive  examination) who may have scored  higher  marks than  the appellant.  We cannot also give any direction  for his  being considered against the 1993 vacancies because  he has  not  appeared  for  the  1993  examination.   The  only observation  we can make is this: if, in case, any  seat  is lying  vacant in any of the medical courses in  Kerala,  the second   respondent,   Director   of   Medical    Education, Thirvananthapuram  shall  consider admitting  the  appellant against such seat relating to the year 1992. The  appeal  is disposed of with the  above  directions  and observation.  No costs. VPR. Appeal disposed of. 343