R.VAISNAVI Vs. GOVERNMENT OF PUDUCHERRY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) These appeals are directed against the common order in W.P.Nos.28266, 28602, 29406 and 30339 of 2018 dtd. 11/2/2019. The appellants before us were the petitioners in the writ petitions, wherein they prayed for issuance of writ of Certiorarified Mandamus to quash the press release issued by the Admission Committee for admission to MBBS Course in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, namely, Centralised Admission Committee (hereinafter referred to as "the CENTAC" for brevity) dtd. 16/10/2018 in so far as it relates to the special counselling to be conducted on 15/10/2018 to fill up the 33 management quota seats by calling upon all the 330 candidates in the list sponsored by the second respondent which comprised of students who did not report for counselling on 31/8/2018 which is the last date for admission of students all over the Country as per the orders of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Dar-us-Slam Educational Trust and others vs. Medical Council of India and others in W.P.(Civil).No.267 of 2017 dtd. 9/5/2017 and for a consequential direction upon the CENTAC to recall the press release in so far as it has resulted in the discontinuance of the appellants/writ petitioners from the MBBS Course and direct the second respondent to issue appropriate orders to the fourth respondent Institution, namely, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences to enable the appellants/writ petitioners to continue their first year MBBS Course in the 4th respondent College.

(2.) The writ petitions filed by the appellants were dismissed by the common order dtd. 11/2/2019 which is impugned before us.

(3.) Before we proceed to consider the arguments advanced before us by the learned counsels on either side, we take note of the factual position as set out by the Medical Council of India (hereinafter referred to as "MCI") in their notes of submission filed in the writ petitions in December 2018. The relevant portion of the said note reads as follows: