Medical admissions subject to final verdict: SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday said that admission to the under-graduate and post-graduate medical courses would be subject to the final outcome of the petitions challenging the Medical Council of India's decision requiring that candidates clear the National Eligibility Entrance Test.

The apex court bench of Justice Gyan Sudha Misra and Justice Madan B Lokur said this on an application filed by NGO Sankalp, seeking direction that the private medical colleges which were enrolling students on the basis of their own entrance tests should admit only those students who had appeared in the NEET and secured at least 50 per cent marks.

Appearing for the NGO, counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court that the interim order passed by the apex court on May 13 was not clear as it had allowed the declarations of the results of the entrance examinations conducted by the Medical Council under the NEET and by various private colleges but did not spell out how admissions would take place.

Bhushan said there could be a situation that a student, who had appeared in the NEET but did not secure 50 percent marks, gets admitted to a private medical college.

"Why they admit students who get zero in exams conducted by the MCI," Bhushan asked and submitted that "those students who have not secured minimum eligibility marks in the NEET may not be granted admission".

This suggestion was opposed by senior counsel PH Parikh, appearing for a college, who said that the minimum percentage of marks for the successful candidate was 50 per cent even in the entrance tests conducted by the private medical colleges.

Parikh said that if admissions were not to be made on the basis of the entrance test conducted by the private medical colleges, then what was the purpose of declaring the results. Parikh appeared for Christian Medical College.

At this, Justice Misra asked: "Don't you think it would be in our interest if we admit good students?"

The apex Court by its May 13 order allowed the declaration of results of MCI's NEET and also of tests by private medical colleges to facilitate the admissions for the current academic year.