Almost 42 percent PG seats in UP Private Medical colleges gone vacant: MCI tells SC

New Delhi: Almost 41.95 percent of post-graduate medical seats for academic year 2018-2019 in private unaided medical colleges in the UP have remained vacant, the Medical Council of India revealed to Supreme Court in a matter relating to PG Medical Admissions in the state

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra noting this to be a "peculiar situation" accepted the suggestion by Assistant Solicitor General (ASG) Pinki Anand that the state's Director General of Medical Education (DGME) be entrusted with the task to nominate candidates on the basis of all-India merit list.

The Supreme Court directed that the state governments across the country can allocate remaining seats in postgraduate medical courses in private medical colleges on the basis of all-India NEET merit list.

The ASG, who appeared for the Centre, further suggested to the bench that “a similar dispensation can be followed in other states, if they so desire, while ensuring that the cut-off date of May 31, 2018 is strictly adhered to”.

“We agree with this suggestion,” the bench said and disposed of the plea filed by the UP unaided medical colleges welfare association.

The ASG and MCI’s counsel assured the apex court that its order would be forthwith published on the official websites of MCI, Medical Counselling Committee and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Earlier during the hearing, the MCI counsel told the bench that since the cut-off date of May 18 was already over, the Director General of Medical Education of Uttar Pradesh must take the responsibility of allotting the seats to students from the NEET merit list in respective colleges by May 31.

“We find this suggestion to be most appropriate and also assuage the grievance of the private medical colleges and open up new opportunity to the aspiring candidates in the merit list who otherwise could not secure admission in other medical colleges,” the bench noted in its order.

The top court accepted the MCI’s suggestions and asked the Director General of Medical Education of Uttar Pradesh to take immediate steps in this regard while ensuring that the cut-off date of May 31, 2018 was adhered to in its letter and spirit.

The bench also made it clear “that in the guise of recommending names of candidates to private colleges, the candidate who has already secured admission elsewhere cannot be permitted to resign from the concerned college to avail of the opportunity under the stated dispensation.”