The four-day counselling process of 13,000 students for the 1,160 MBBS and 294 Dental college seats in the state started on Saturday.

On the first day of the counselling session at the L D Engineering College, the Joint Admission Committee (JAC) conducted the screening exclusively for students belonging to the physically challenged category and those who had appeared for the class XII exams under the CBSE board. Nine seats under the physically challenged quota and 120 seats for CBSE board students were filled up today.

Jac coordinator Pranav Shah said: "We have completed the admission process for the CBSE and the physically challenged students. They were selected for the college of their choice on the basis of their performance in GUJCET and the HSC."

Admissions in medical, engineering and pharmacy colleges in Gujarat is done on the basis of the score secured in GUJCET, a combined entrance exam for all professional streams, and the performance in Class XII board examination. Sixty percent weightage is given to the GUJCET score and 40 percent to HSC results.

This year, the state government has, however, devised a new quota system for admission into medical colleges.

Under the system, 10 per cent of the seats have been reserved under the management quota, 15 per cent for NRI quota, 3 per cent for the handicapped and 49 percent for SC, ST and OBC categories. This takes the total reservation in medical colleges to 77 percent.

However, the government has decided not to extend the new quota system for the VS Hospital based NHL Municipal

Medical College, Ahmedabad and the Surat Medical College.

Students and Parents Association have termed the new quota system as 'unconstitutional' and challenged it before the Gujarat High Court.

On Friday, a division bench, however, refused to put a stay on the admissions this year, and said that any changes arising out of the petition before it would be effective from the next academic year.

On Sunday, the process of admission for the Gujarat Board students, who form the major chunk of the total applicants, will start. The first 551 candidates have been called on Sunday.