NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will hear on October 21 an application from the All-India Medical and Engineering Colleges' Association seeking permission to fill vacant seats in 165 dental and paramedical colleges in 22 States.

A Bench headed by Justice Y.K. Sabharwal directed listing of the application filed by T.D. Naidu, president of the Association, after counsel K.K. Mani made a mention for early hearing.

The petitioner said thousands of seats were vacant in the member-colleges even after considering students who had taken the Common Entrance Tests and by admitting eligible students who had not taken the entrance tests conducted by the respective states. He said minority and non-minority self-financing colleges, would not be able to sustain themselves unless at least 50 per cent of total seats was filled. The applicant had to move the court as the apex court had fixed a cut-off date of August 30 for admissions in the Islamic Academy case. Last year, the court had allowed filling of vacant seats with those who had not taken the Common Entrance Test, but were eligible on the basis of marks in the higher secondary examination.

The issue of vacant seats had not been brought to the notice of the apex court in the Islamic Academy case.

He said the Association wanted a clarification on whether vacant seats could be put to meaningful use if eligible students could be admitted.

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