No extra time for medical admissions: Apex court

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 23

The Supreme Court has refused to extend the time for filling vacant seats in super-specialty, postgraduate and MBBS courses beyond September 14, saying it would not be appropriate.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra accepted Medical Council of India Counsel Gaurav Sharma’s contention that further extension of time for admission would lead to chaos. The order came on several pleas demanding an extension on the ground that there were 600 super-specialty and postgraduate seats vacant and unless the date was extended, these would be wasted.

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The court had earlier laid down a time schedule to be followed for completing admissions to medical colleges Ashish Ranjan and Others v. Union of India & Others and on September 4, it had directed that the admission process be completed by September 14.

While noting the submissions made by senior advocates about the vacant seats going waste, the Bench on Friday said: “If we permit ourselves to say so, the concern travelled from rational sphere to emotional sphere. We appreciate the concern, perception and the argument advanced at the Bar.”

On behalf of the government, Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh had supported the demand for concession on the basis of the instructions given by the Directorate General of Health Services. However, MCI counsel Sharma opposed it. 

He emphasised the fact that the deadline had already been extended by 10 days and hence “it will be an anathema to the concept of law to grant extension at the behest of the institutions or students”.

Sharma said another extension had the potential to “usher in a state of chaos and the result might be that the students not eligible would gain the benefit.” The Bench rejected the extension plea.