CHENNAI: President of the All-India Medical and Engineering Colleges Association (AIMECA), T.D. Naidu, on Sunday said that in the wake of the Supreme Court order permitting self-financing colleges in different States to fill vacant seats on the basis of higher secondary examination marks, steps would be taken to move the court to fill vacancies in self-financing medical, nursing and para-medical colleges in the country.

Describing the order as a "landmark judgment in the higher education arena," he said the AIMECA's "prime aim is to see that unfettered freedom is given to unaided professional colleges in India."

As per the court direction, State Governments and private managements had to produce a list of candidates on the basis of the common entrance test conducted by the Government or the entrance test held by the consortium of colleges to the association, Mr. Naidu said. These students would get priority in admission. On the court direction that all vacant seats "are permitted to be filled on the basis of marks obtained in the 10+2 examination," Mr. Naidu said the term, "merit" meant " just a pass in the examination" and did not refer to minimum marks fixed by the State Government to be eligible for admission. If the Government had doubt, it could file a review petition. The AIMECA would like to complete the admission process by October 31. Even as the State Government is grappling with the AICTE's latest decision to increase the intake in over 60 engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, the Consortium of Arts, Science and Professional Colleges in the State has sought a month's time to fill the vacant seats.

When the single window counselling ended last month, over 11,000 seats were vacant. But after conducting the common entrance test, the Consortium was able to fill almost all vacant seats, at least in popular branches, said Consortium president Jeppiaar.

"Now the AICTE has approved another 5,600 seats. So we have written to the State Higher Education Secretary, seeking one more month, after the September 19 deadline, to admit candidates to the additional seats and file the list of candidates to the Directorate of Technical Education."

He said the AICTE approved the extra seats on condition that these can be filled only if the affiliating university ratified. Otherwise, the additional intake would be applicable only in the next academic year.

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