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A single judge bench of Justice H.S. Thankhiew in the Meghalaya High Court has directed the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) to allow a physical counseling session to an aspirant whose video-conferencing link for the same had gone into the spam box of her email account.

The petitioner was an aspirant for admission into the MBBS course at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science (NEIGRIHMS), who after qualifying in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) Examination, had been invited for the second e-counseling session for admission into the MBBS course for 2021-2022.

The petitioner was further informed that the counseling would be on a virtual platform to be held on March 7 to fill up 4 vacant seats.

The petitioner further contended that, though the link for joining the video conference had been communicated by the respondent, the same had landed in her spam email, and that she was not aware that she had received the link for her e-counseling, as the same had not appeared on her email ID or mobile number. Therefore, she could not be present on the date and time of the e-counseling.

"Had it been in the normal circumstances, nothing would have prevented the writ petitioner from tendering her candidature for the said seat, the instant matter being peculiarly situated deserves consideration on a different footing," the Court mentioned.

The High Court thus directed that, "The respondents shall facilitate counseling for the petitioner via physical mode or otherwise within 1 week from today, with prior notice to the petitioner. Thereafter, the respondents shall take into consideration the merit of the petitioner and complete the process of selection for the fourth seat expeditiously taking into consideration the fact that the session has since commenced."

Cause Title: Miss Bisakha Geonka vs North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences & Anr.