Supreme Court passes order on Medical admissions

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the states of Maharashtra and Kerala to not disturb the admissions made by private unaided colleges and deemed universities in MBBS and BDS courses this year based on the merit list in the NEET examination held on July 24.

A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and L. Nageswara Rao passed this directive on an appeal filed by the MCI against orders passed by the Bombay and Kerala high courts staying the centralised counselling for admission in government and private colleges and deemed universities.

As far as Kerala was concerned, the bench took into consideration the fact that the admission process had been completed, and that there are no vacant seats since the admission process was completed on the basis of an agreement with the state government and private unaided medical colleges.

Regarding Maharashtra, the bench said that it did not want to disturb the admissions that have already been made, but for the remaining vacant seats in medical and dental courses, admissions should be conducted on the basis of centralised counselling. It said that insofar as second or third counselling is concerned, that will be a joint exercise, which means it would be done by a state government committee that would include one representative each from these universities.

The deemed universities will nominate their respective representatives forthwith. There would be centralised counselling for all the deemed universities, and not university-wise counselling. In the second or third round of counselling, students would be admitted after a combined list is compiled of those who got themselves registered with the state government, as well as the respondent universities. This would ensure the admission of those who are more meritorious but were left out, but are interested in taking admission in the respondent universities.

The bench made it clear that this order has been passed exercising powers under Article 142 of the Constitution. Insofar as the admission process of subsequent years is concerned, the same would depend on the outcome of the central issue raised in the writ petitions, viz. who is the competent authority to conduct the counselling.