In the first round of openings for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET UG) counselling 2024, a medical candidate named Mashalkar was given a seat in the institutional quota (IQ) at Terna Medical College in Navi Mumbai. Even though he had paid the necessary costs for the IQ seats, he ran into problems when the college sought more money than was recommended and eventually refused him admittance.
Mashalkar had paid Rs 31.5 lakh in total, which included a security deposit, hostel and mess fees, and the IQ tuition price, which is often three times higher than the ordinary fee. But he encountered a number of challenges when he visited the college to finish the admissions procedure. Despite the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test Cell (Maharashtra CET Cell) not requiring it, a college representative reportedly objected to him being escorted by a local guardian instead of his parents. Additionally, they requested that he pay five times the standard tuition cost rather than the required three times, and they wrongly accused him of using an agent.
Mashalkar brought up the matter with the Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) and the Maharashtra CET Cell, but he was not given a satisfactory response. Mashalkar petitioned the Bombay High Court for justice after becoming frustrated with these officials’ inaction. According to his petition, he was turned away for “extraneous reasons” even though he had all of his paperwork checked and paid the required amount.
The FRA’s grievance committee said during a hearing that Mashalkar’s refusal to pay the exorbitant cost the college wanted was the reason for the denial. Mashalkar is still qualified to take part in the next NEET UG special vacancy round of counselling in 2024, the FRA added. In order to take further action, the committee chose to report the case to the Admission Regulatory Authority (ARA).
Mashalkar submitted two main requests in his court petition: first, that the college be directed to hold one IQ slot open until his matter is resolved, and second, that he be granted temporary permission to enroll in MBBS classes. Mashalkar would be able to continue his education in this way while he awaits the court’s ruling.
SOURCE :
MEDICAL DIALOGUES
