Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed the NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada of AP and Kaloji Narayana Rao Health University in Warangal of TS to treat one of the three seats in MCH (Surgical Oncology) Course as unreserved and allot it to the petitioner who got the first rank in the entrance test conducted for the admission into the course.

A division bench comprising Justice V. Ramasubramanian and Justice Anis was allowing a petition by Dr Phanindra Kumar Nagisetty declaring the action of the NTR University in not accepting his application for the course along with several other aspirants from non-Osmania University area, and declaration of the Kaloji University reserving all the three seats in the DM/ MCH (Surgical Oncology) course only to applicants from Osmania University, as illegal.

C.V. Sumon, counsel for the petitioner, said that Telangana region had only one seat in undivided AP and after bifurcation, the state two additional seats and it would be justifiable if  the Kaloji varsity and the TS government treat one seat as unreserved.

AA-G J. Ramachandra Rao, appearing for Kaloji varsity, submitted that after bifurcation, both the states have right to act independently as per Article 371(D) of the Constitution.

The bench was not inclined to agree with the argument of the AA-G and said that as per Section 95 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, admissions has to provide for the students of combined state for 10 years in both the states. While allowing the petition, the bench directed both the varsities accommodate the petitioner in one seat treating it as unreserved.
Order on weightage suspended
The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday suspended the order of a single judge in which it was held that in-service medical officers who served in rural /tribal/remote or difficult areas were entitled to weightage of marks at the rate of 10 per cent per year, subject to maximum weightage of 30 per cent.

The single judge had allowed a petition by D. Gopal Rao, a government doctor from Warangal, questioning the action of the TS government and Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, in not considering his request to add the weightage marks for the ongoing admission into super specialty courses (PG 2).

Aggrieved by the order, the varsity and the TS Government Doctors Association moved an appeal as a lunch motion before a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice U. Durga Prasad Rao on Tuesday.

After hearing the appeal, the bench suspended the order and pointed out that as long as there was no policy in force in the state to give weightage to doctors who served in rural /tribal/remote or difficult areas, courts cannot insist on such weightage.

Hearing in Agri Gold case fast-tracked
The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday decided to place the hearing of the Agri Gold case on the fast track and hear the case twice a week to ensure repayment to the depositors as quickly as possible.

A division bench comprising Justice V. Ramasubramanian and Justice S.B. Bhatt was dealing with a petition by the TS Agri Gold customers and Agents Welfare Association, represented by its president A Ramesh Babu of the city, seeking a probe either by the CBI or Enforcement Directorate into the scam.
Senior counsel L. Ravichander, appearing for the Agri Gold Group of Companies, placed an affidavit seeking the court’s permission to allow the company to sell its properties on its own as it could fetch more money and so far many of prospective buyers have approached the company to buy its properties.

Justice Ramasubramanian told counsel to submit the details of unencumbered properties and the list of buyers and also the rates offered by them in tabular form so that the court can crosscheck the details.

While telling counsel to place all the details by next Tuesday, the judge said that the list would also facilitate the three-man committee constituted to oversee the auction of properties to take an appropriate decision.

The bench was not inclined to grant a direction for registration of 47 acres purchased by the Pacific Heights Company in Bengaluru from Agri Gold when counsel for Pacific Heights made a request for an interim order.