New Delhi: The Supreme Court has declined permission for third round of counselling to fill up 213 all-India quota medical seats in 19 states for the academic year 2002- 03 and directed that these would now be filled by the states' waiting list candidates.

A three-judge Bench comprising justice S Rajendra Babu, justice D M Dharmadhikari and justice G P Mathur on January 27 rejected the application by some candidates in the all-India quota waiting list, requesting for third round of counselling.

The court was informed by the director general of health services that of the 1,800 seats, around 200 had fallen vacant even after the completion of the second round of counselling.

The statewise break-up of vacancies in various medical colleges were: Maharashtra – 30, Tamil Nadu – 22, West Bengal – 21, Punjab – 17, Karnataka – 17, Gujarat – 17, Kerala – 16, Uttar Pradesh – 12, Madhya Pradesh – 12, Goa – 8, Haryana – 7, Rajasthan – 6, Delhi – 5, Orissa – 5, Pondicherry – 5, Assam – 5, Chattisgarh – 4, Himachal Pradesh – 3 and Jharkhand – 2.

Rejecting the plea of the applicants, the Bench said just because in a given year the all-India quota was not filled up, the scheme framed by the court allowing the seats to be reverted back to the states should not be changed by allowing another round of counselling.

Vacating the interim order not to fill up the all-India quota seats, the Bench directed the states in which vacancies have arisen to take appropriate steps to fill them up.

PTI