Centre pleads for increase in All India Quota of admissions

New Delhi, July 12(UNI) The Central government today pleaded before the Supreme Court that its All India Quota of admissions in the medical science courses in the states should be enhanced from present 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium told the bench comprising chief justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice C K Thakker and Justice P K Balasubramanyan that the experiment of counselling through video conferencing has unfortuantely failed for the time being.

Subramanium told the court that most of the states were not opposed to the enhancement of All India Quota for the Centre.

The court, however cautioned the government against mushrooming of medical colleges with sub-standard infrastructure as noted by this court in its earlier judgment.

The court also took notice of the assertion of the Centre that in future it would try to set up new medical colleges with ever high standards at par with international standards.

The union government also told the court that most of controversial issues have already been sorted out and the government was also plann ing to increase the intake of medical colleges from the next academic year i.e. 2007.

The court adjourned the hearing of the petition filed by Mridul Dhar to the first week of September,2006.

UNI AKS/SC RP PM1909