SANJANA RAMCHANDRA CHANDELKAR Vs. STATE OF GOA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Petitioners and Respondent No. 3 to 14 are students, who, after passing Higher Secondary Examination in May 2017 had applied for the admission to the Medical courses. The Petition relates to the admission to the professional degree courses in Medicine and Health Sciences for the year 2017-2018. The Petitioners have filed this Writ Petition challenging the action of the Respondent-Authorities of not allowing the Petitioners to participate in the admission process for the medical courses. Respondent No. 1 is the State of Goa. Respondent No. 2 is the Director of Technical Education.

(2.) The Director of Technical Education, Goa- the Respondent No. 2 issued a common Prospectus for admission to the first year professional degree courses for the year 2017- 2018. The Prospectus was also for the courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Engineering, Pharmacy Architecture, Homeopathy, Ayurveda and Allied Health Sciences. The Prospectus was uploaded on the website of the Respondents. The first date for receiving the application forms was 18 May 2017. The last date for receiving the forms was 26 May 2017. The admissions to the Medical courses were to be granted only on the basis of results in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-NEET (UG) 2017 (hereinafter referred as 'NEET'). The Petitioners applied for admission after they received their results in NEET. When the Respondent -Authorities rejected their applications on the ground that the applications were submitted after 26 May 2017, the Petitioners approached this Court by way of present Writ Petition.

(3.) On 10 July 2017, the Division Bench (Reis and Sardessai, JJ) passed the following order: