Allahabad HC Seeks Responses Of BHU, Ayush Ministry On Plea Against Conversion Of Internal Quota Seats To AIQ In PG Ayurved (MD/MS) Course

The Allahabad High Court has sought responses within three weeks from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and the Union Ministry of Ayush on a plea challenging the conversion of 25 seats reserved as Internal Institutional Quota seats into All India Quota (AIQ) PG (MD/MS), Ayurveda Seats for session 2024-25. A division bench consisting of Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Vipin Chandra Dixit was hearing a petition filed by six students who completed their Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) course in the 2017-2022 academic session at the Ayurveda Faculty of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). The petitioners had also completed their mandatory internship during the academic year 2022-2023. Essentially, each batch of the BAMS course is allowed only one attempt to claim the internal quota benefit for Postgraduate (PG) MD/MS admission in the Ayurveda Faculty, BHU and to be eligible for this internal quota, the students must complete their mandatory internship by a specified cut-off date. In their case, the petitioners, represented by Advocate Saurabh Tiwari, contend that they had one opportunity to avail themselves of the institutional quota, and thus, they are not eligible for the 50% institutional quota (25 seats) in PG admission for the 2024-2025 academic year, as they exhausted their opportunity in the previous year. According to the petitioners, as per the existing norms and admission criteria, only their immediate junior batch (BAMS Session 2018-2023) had the opportunity to benefit from the internal quota for PG admission. However, the petitioners argue that since the 2018-2023 batch has not completed their mandatory internship by the prescribed cut-off date of July 31, 2023, now even they are ineligible for the 50% institutional quota for PG admission in the 2024-2025 academic year. In light of this, the petitioners plead that their own batch (2017-2022) be considered for admission under the internal institutional quota of 25 PG (MD/MS) program seats. In other words, the petitioners argue that since their junior batch failed to meet the internship completion requirement by the cut-off date and is, therefore, ineligible for PG admission, the petitioners' batch (2017-2022) should be allowed to fill the 25 internal quota seats for the upcoming academic year."if present petitioner(s) is not allowed for consideration of their candidature for the PG admission then internal seats of BHU Ayurveda Faculty , BHU may remain vacant. As junior batch of BAMS , BHU have not completed their mandatory internship programme within cut-off date 31st July," their writ plea states. Notably, while the petitioners moved the court, the Ministry of Ayush issued a notification converting those internal quota seats to All India Quota for the 2024-25 session. Thus, the petitioners have also challenged this notification in their writ plea.The matter will be heard next on March 24. Advocate Saurabh Tiwari, along with Advocates Ankur Pandey and Vikas Kumar, appeared for the petitioners.

Allahabad HC Seeks Responses Of BHU, Ayush Ministry On Plea Against Conversion Of Internal Quota Seats To AIQ In PG Ayurved (MD/MS) Course

Sparsh Upadhyay

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