The NTR University of Health Sciences has issued notices to private medical colleges to admit merit quota students, who were allotted seats in the Eamcet medical counselling conducted by it recently, before the July 31 deadline.

As reported earlier by this newspaper, the managements are refusing to give admission on the pretext that a case pertaining to the management quota admissions is pending in the AP High Court, leaving over 3,000 merit students in the lurch.

The university has threatened the managements with stringent action if they refuse to admit merit quota students by July 31.

As per the norms laid down by the Medical Council of India, only those admitted before July 31 will get approval, as the classes begin from August 1. Students and parents are anxious about losing MBBS admissions, despite having secured ranks in the Eamcet.

The private colleges, opposing the intervention of the government in management quota admissions, have approached the High Court over the issue. They maintain that they will give admissions for merit quota students only after the High Court delivers its verdict in the case.

“The private medical college managements cannot play with the lives of students who secured MBBS seats based on merit in the Eamcet counselling,” said said Dr T. Venugopala Rao, registrar, NTRUHS.

“It is ridiculous to link merit quota admissions with the case pending in High Court. The colleges will have to admit merit students within the deadline of July 31 failing which they will have to face the consequences,” Dr Rao said.

He said the university has dispatched the list of merit students who were allotted seats and directed the principals of private medical colleges to give them admission by July 31.