New Delhi, July 10: The fate of thousands of students aspiring to become doctors today hung in balance with the Maharashtra government freezing admission to all state-run medical and dental colleges for 2003-04 and the Supreme Court directing postponement of the second round of counselling for the 15 per cent all India quota medical seats in all states.
This was stated on behalf of the state government by senior advocate Harish Salve before a bench comprising Justice R C Lahoti and Justice Ashok Bhan, which was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of a Maharashtra government legislation unilaterally withdrawing from the all India medical quota scheme framed by the court.

The Union government had filed an application before the court stating that such unilateral withdrawal from the scheme would upset the entire scheme.

Appearing for the Union government, Aditional Solicitor General Raju Ramachandran stated that as Maharashtra government had frozen admissions into its medical and dental courses, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), which was implementing the scheme, would postpone the second round of counselling scheduled for July 18.

The second round of counselling for the all India quota as well as the admissions to the medical and dental college seats in Mahrashtra would now depend on the outcome of the hearing of the petitions before the apex court.

The bench after recording the statement of salve and Ramachandran, directed the matter to be placed before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate orders.

Bureau Report