Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), a private medical college in Palghar, has petitioned the Bombay High Court. VIMS seeks to reinstate institute-level admissions for vacant MBBS seats and expand eligibility for the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota. This move challenges Maharashtra’s centralized NEET counselling process, conducted by the Maha CET Cell , and current state policies.
VIMS aims to fill 350 currently vacant MBBS seats across 42 private colleges in Maharashtra. This number represents a significant portion of the 3,499 private MBBS seats available. The college also contests the state’s decision to limit NRI quota benefits strictly to actual NRIs and their children. The National Medical Commission (NMC) mandates online centralized admissions, a process VIMS previously challenged successfully.
Institute-Level Admissions Conflict
Institute-level admissions remain a contentious issue in Maharashtra for the past two years. Private medical institutes advocate for direct admissions to ensure all their seats are filled. However, student activists and aspirants complain this creates an opaque admission process. They argue colleges deny enrollment to deserving candidates in favor of the highest bidders for unclaimed seats.
In 2023 , Maharashtra allowed institutes to manage admissions at the eleventh hour, despite an NMC directive for an online-only system. The NMC subsequently ordered the cancellation of 141 such admissions. The State Admission Regulating Authority (ARA) later invalidated 140 of these enrollments. The ultimate status of these students, who continue to be enrolled, remains unclear.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court upheld the NMC’s stance in a November 2023 verdict. However, when VIMS approached the principal bench in 2024 , the court agreed with the college. It ruled that the NMC’s directive was merely an ‘executive instruction.’ This interim order led to the reintroduction of institute-level admissions.
NRI Quota Eligibility Challenge
VIMS also challenges Maharashtra’s strict NRI quota rules. The state amended the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015. This amendment limits NRI quota eligibility to only those with NRI certificates and their children. VIMS seeks to extend this provision to include other relatives of NRIs.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) , under the Union Ministry of Health, initially made a similar decision. It later reversed course, extending the reservation to other relations through a preferential system. Maharashtra, however, maintained its revised, stricter system. This creates a disparity, affecting ‘sponsored’ NRI candidates who are eligible for central counselling in deemed universities but not for private colleges in the state.
NRI candidates are financially significant for private colleges in Maharashtra. State regulations allow these colleges to charge five times the regular fees for NRI seats. The Supreme Court has previously criticized the NRI quota in educational institutes, labeling it a ‘fraud.’ The Bombay High Court is currently hearing VIMS’s petitions. The outcomes will impact future medical admissions and NRI quota policies in Maharashtra.