'Not Many Takers For Seats In Ayurveda Colleges': Karnataka High Court Declines Plea For Additional Counselling Rounds To Fill Vacant Seats

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a batch of petitions filed by 26 Ayurveda Medical Colleges seeking a direction to the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) to provide extra rounds of counselling or extend the last date for admission for students to be admitted in the colleges.

A division bench of Chief Justice P S Dinesh Kumar and T G Shivashankare Gowda said,

“The classes have already commenced from November 2023. At this juncture, if the admission process is extended, it cannot be limited only to petitioner institutions excluding other Ayurvedic Colleges across the State. This would result in discontinuance of the academic schedule and the newly admitted students would not be able to cope up with the course.”

The colleges in one petition submitted that NCISM had invited applications for the establishment of new Ayurveda institutions for the academic year 2023-24. Despite submitting the applications on time, the inspection of the Institutions was conducted belatedly.

The 'Letter of Permission' was granted on 23-24.11.2023. The Institutions were included in counselling on 30.11.2023, which was the last date notified for admissions for the year 2023-24. As a result many seats have remained vacant. The Colleges submitted their representation to the NCISM, seeking extension of the last day for admission which was not considered. The Institutions contended they will not be able to function effectively without proper admissions.

In another petition it was submitted that colleges have not been able to fill up all the available seats even after almost all the rounds of counselling. Therefore they approached the NCISM seeking extension of time, which has not been considered.

The authority opposed the pleas saying the unfilled seats cannot be a ground for additional rounds of counselling since the classes had already commenced from November 2023, and if a fresh admission process is to be conducted the newly admitted students would not be able to cope up with the academic schedule.

Further, it was submitted there are not many takers for the Ayurvedic course due to which the seats have remained unfilled. Providing extra rounds of counselling or extending the last date for admission would not bring any drastic change in the number of unfilled seats.

The bench noted that no student had approached it seeking extension. "It is only the institutions. Ms. Mansi (Counsel for NCISM) is right in her submission that there are not many takers for the seats in the course offered by the petitioner institutions and hence, the seats have remained unfilled.”

The court also rejected the contention that Letter of Permission was granted belatedly and thus should be granted extension for admission. “This contention does not merit consideration because when seats in established Institutions have remained unfilled, it is reasonable to infer that the seats in newly established Institutions will not be filled up,” it said.

Accordingly it dismissed the petitions.

Appearance: Senior Advocates Madhusudhan Naik, G.S.Kannur for the petitioners.

Advocate Mansi Kumar, for NCISM.

Deputy Solicitor General Shanti Bhushan H for UoI,

AGA Sudev Hegde for the State

Advocate N.K.Ramesh for KEA

Citation No: 2024 LiveLaw (Kar) 92

Case Title: Achutha Ayurveda Medical College Hospital and Research Centre & Others AND Union of India & Others

Case No: WRIT PETITION NO. 28897 OF 2023 C/W WRIT PETITION NO. 27566 OF 2023

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