Only Two Defense-related Students are Admitted to GMCH 32's MBBS Programme after Exemptions Removal

New Delhi: In contrast to last year, when around 20 students enrolled in the MBBS programme at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, using the exemptions previously provided to the dependents of defence personnel, only two students from the defence category were admitted this year.

The Chandigarh administration's decision to discontinue all such exemptions provided to students in the defence category has led to this drastic drop in enrollment.

Despite the students' opposition, the Supreme Court (SC) maintained the decision, and the new rule was eventually put into place. In the past, there was a differentiation made between Chandigarh local applicants and the children of defence personnel and ex-servicemen when it came to GMCH-32 applications.

Candidates in the latter category were not permitted to apply in any other State/UT of India in order to be eligible for GMCH-32, but candidates in the former category could apply from anywhere in India for Chandigarh.

However, the UT administration modified the conditions after several pleas challenging the waiver of domicile to the wards of defense personnel were filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

However, when numerous petitions contesting the waiver of domicile to the wards of defence personnel were submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the UT government changed the terms.

Naturally, the students who fall under the defence category were upset about the modifications made to the MBBS eligibility requirements. A student who contested the changes made by the UT administration brought the matter before the High Court.

The petitioner argued that such strict requirements rendered the concession provided to the wards of Defense wards as useless. The petition claimed that since a member of the military is a citizen of the entire nation, they should at the very least be given the option of at least one state quota of their choosing.

The Supreme Court took up the case in the end, and the highest court bench recently rejected the plea. The top court's panel, presided over by Justices Dr. DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli, upheld the modified norm and ordered that the July 15, 2022 notification's new eligibility requirements be followed for MBBS admissions.

According to the latest reports, just two children of military personnel sought for MBBS admission for the 2022–2023 academic session and both were accepted under the UT pool after the revised criteria went into effect.

In the case of these two students, their parents had permanent residence in Chandigarh at the time of entry into service. The academic branch of GMHC-32 has informed the daily that the college obtained requisite certificates from the students as proof, which was signed by a competent authority from defence. Those documents proved their permanent residency status.

While commenting on it, the UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said that the UT administration changed the criteria to give equal opportunity to wards of defence personnel having residency in Chandigarh.

Earlier, the exemptions were increasing unnecessary competition for UT pool candidates, as the defence wards were also eligible through the central pool, while students from Chandigarh got no other opportunity, Garg said.

In order to divide the 150 MBBS seats at the medical college, 15% of the seats go to the All India Quota, while the remaining 85% (115 seats) go to the UT pool. The UT administration determines the admissions procedure for the UT pool seats, whereas the Central Government fills the seats in the Central pool.

According to the guidelines, MBBS candidates who have completed Class X, XI, and XII from institutions located in the UT and acknowledged by the Administration are qualified for admission to the program. Earlier, only students from UT-based schools and colleges who had successfully completed Class XII were eligible.

In addition, candidates who do not match the aforementioned requirements but whose parents have lived in the UT for the last five years prior to the date of application are nevertheless eligible for admission.

There is a third requirement that must be met in order for the children of central government and state government personnel on deputation to Chandigarh to be admitted.

In fact, the children of employees who have worked for the three years prior to the application date in autonomous bodies or businesses in which Chandigarh administration has a 20% or greater share are also qualified for admission.

For the wards of defence personnel and ex-servicemen, the UT home department relaxed the domestic limits of a minimum stay in Chandigarh and the requirement of passing classes 10 through 12 from the city back in 2007.

After a year, the UT government decided to accept military members' dependents as part of the GMCh-32 pool limit at 85%. The Chandigarh government recently eliminated these exemptions.

115 seats in the UT pool were filled when the counselling process was finished. In addition to the central pool seats, nine NRI quota seats have also been filled. Only four seats in the college's central pool are still open, so another round of counselling will be held in November.

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