Gauhati High Court Rejects Dispur's Rules, Manmita Barman's Dream of Becoming a Doctor Comes True

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Jan 15: Justice has finally been served to Manmita Barman, a meritorious student from Pochagarh at Fakiragram in Kokrajhar district. On Friday, Manmita got herself admitted to the Silchar Medical College & Hospital after the Gauhati High Court struck down Dispur's rules that denied her admission to pursue MBBS to become a doctor.

Advocate Ashim Chamuah who fought the case of Manmita in the Gauhati High Court told The Sentinel that the meritorious student was denied admission into any of the medical college in the State even after she cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG)–2019.

After clearing the NEET-2019 Manmita appeared in the MBBS counseling session conducted by the Directorate of Medical Education (DME), Assam on July 2, 2019. But her candidature was rejected by the Counseling Committee on the ground that the petitioner had done 10+2 (or Higher Secondary exam) from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

After passing the HS (Science) exams in 2013, the petitioner took admission in B.Sc. Nursing Course in the same year under Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences and passed the in the year 2017 with 61 per cent of marks.

As Manmita had an ardent dream of pursuing the MBBS Course, she appeared for the NIIT in 2019 and came out with good score and rank that made her eligible to appear for the MBBS counseling session in 2019. But her dreams was shattered when the DME, Assam rejected her admission into MBBS course in any of the medical college that Manmita cleared here Plus II exams from the NIOS and could not clear the HS exams in one sitting. In 2019 Manmita filed a writ petition in the Gauhati High Court seeking justice and challenging the decision of the DME, Assam to deny her admission.

Advocate Chamuah had submitted before the High Court that that there was no reason for the State authorities to deny admission to the petitioner into the MBBS Course on the ground that her qualification at 10+2 stage from the NIOS which was contrary to the Medical Colleges and Dental Colleges of Assam (Regulation of Admission into 1st year MBBS/BDS Courses) Rules, 2017 ('2017 Rules', for short).

"I have submitted before the court that there is no bar prescribed in the Medical Council of India (MCI) Regulations for a candidate to get admission into the MBBS/BDS Courses even if such candidate had passed his/her Class XII examination taking one subject in the Compartmental Examination. The said position has already been clarified by the MCI by a Public Notice dated 24.04.2018 by clearly mentioning that a candidate even if passes one subject in the Compartmental Examination then also such candidate is qualified for taking admission into the MBBS/BDS Course if he/she has obtained the required marks in the NEET," Advocate Chamuah said.

Advocate Chamuah said though the higher education is the State's subject, maintenance of standard in higher education is the responsibility of the Centre.

"I challenged the 2017 Rules of the Assam Government that deprived Manmita from pursuing MBBS in 2019. Finally, I am grateful to the Gauhati High Court for giving its verdict in favour of the petitioner by striking down the State Government's rules. The dream of becoming a doctor for a meritorious girl student of a remote village in Kokrajhar district has come true," an elated Chamuah said.

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