Hyderabad: In what could be a huge disappointment to many students, about 600 MBBS seats in six private medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state, that were restored by the Supreme Court, may not be available for counselling. The six medical colleges are unwilling to participate in counselling after the apex court ordered them to offer seats to students at fees on par with government medical colleges.

The colleges won’t be able to make any profits if they charge the same fees as government colleges, as they will have to provide bank guarantees to the Medical Council of India, which would be several times more than the amount they would earn through fees. The Supreme Court had recently conditionally restored 300 seats each in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in six private medical colleges, including Telugu Desam MP C. Malla Reddy’s Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences.

However, college managements approached the apex court again with a review petition asking for permission to fill 40 per cent of the seats under management quota, which the Supreme Court refused to allow. The apex court asked the colleges to fill seats under the convenor quota with fees on par with government medical colleges, which is about Rs 15,000 per student per annum.

Colleges are unwilling as they will have to deposit a bank guarantee of a maximum Rs 10 crore, which would be far higher than the fees earned through filling 100 seats at Rs 15,000 per seat. “The Supreme Court said colleges can make admissions in the interest of the students and also can choose not to do so if they don’t want to. I don’t think anybody is willing to admit students at the said fee,” said G. Bhaskar Rao, president, All India Private Medical Colleges Association.

DC

600 MBBS seats restored by Supreme Court not to be available