Cuttack, June 12: Orissa High Court today imposed restrictions on admission of in-service candidates to post graduate (medical) courses in government medical colleges for 2013-14. The bar will continue until further orders.

Of the 260 seats for PG courses in three government medical colleges, 87 and 86 are earmarked for in-service and direct candidates, respectively.

The state health and family welfare department had issued guidelines through a notification on May 27, 2013, which said: “Any candidate having completed three years of continuous service and considered eligible by the selection committee will be allowed for admission to PG courses as in-service candidate. Candidates having less than three years continuous service will be treated as direct candidates.”

Dr Biswajeet Kar and four other doctors having five continuous years of service, who had appeared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, had moved the high court for quashing of the notification.

As per prevailing guidelines, candidates having five years service, as on March 31, 2013, were eligible for in-service seats.

“Making candidates with three-years service eligible would adversely affect the petitioners who have completed more than five-years service,” the petitioners contended.

The vacation bench of Justice Indrajeet Mahanty and Justice B.K. Nayak posted the matter to June 24 for hearing.