AP: HC asks MCI and centre to reconsider age limit for MBBS admissions

Hyderabad: An interesting case of age criterion for admission to MBBS courses has come to light at the Hyderabad High Court, where Justice Suresh Kumar Kait of the apex court has suggested that the Medical Council of India and the centre do away with the criteria of minimum age of 17 years for getting admission into the course. The judge gave this observation while disposing a writ petition filed by B.S.V. Dheeraj.

According to the petitioner’s counsel, the petitioner Dheeraj had got himself admission into an International University of Health Sciences in the West Indies and later in order to get recognition in India applied for permission from the MCI to sit for the eligibility test. The petitioner however, was denied eligibility certification by the MCI on the basis of the fact that that he joined the undergraduate medical course, when he did not complete 17 years.

The petitioner had filed for an eligibility certification to the MCI on April 28,2010. He continued with his course hoping that the MCI would issue the certificate before he completed his course. The Medical Council however , issued a rejection in 2015.The educational body at the time of the rejection also made clear that its regulation was meant to have a binding effect, as had been decided by the Supreme Court. Accordingly, the case of the petitioner was rejected on the ground that he had not applied for eligibility certificate before commencing the MBBS.

While allowing the petition, Justice Suresh Kumar said, “The regulations are of the year 1997 and now we are moving towards e-courts, paperless courts and appreciating any of the citizens of this country, who does some out of the routine or anti-stream. Even in sports, boys and girls aged 16 and 17 are bagging medals for their respective countries. In that case, we appreciate and celebrate that at such a young age, he/she has attained this position. In such a situation, the age of 17 years for admission in MBBS has no meaning.”

The judge directed the authorities to permit him to write the eligibility test and advised them to reconsider the issue of age limit of 17 years.

Justice Kait also directed the Registry to send a copy of the same to the Secretary, Public Health System Centres, GoI, so that talented students may not face the difficulty faced by the petitioner, the judge ordered the MCI to issue eligibility certificate to the petitioner within two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of the order