MBBS in India VS MBBS Abroad: SC directs Centre to inform about Indian admissions by August 15 every year

New Delhi: To avoid inconvenience being caused to the foreign medical students due to delay in communication, the Supreme Court has directed the Central government to intimate the students about the Indian MBBS admissions' process by August 15 every year.

The bench took note of the delay in communication to medical students from foreign countries as also the North East regarding admissions to government medical colleges, and subsequently passed the order so that students get enough time to join MBBS course.

The bench was hearing a plea of students including those from foreign countries and north-eastern states, who were granted admissions from the central pool in the government medical colleges but due to delayed communication by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the last date of MBBS admission had already passed as they reported to the medical colleges on September 1 and 2.

The Advocate appearing for All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said that seven seats were earmarked to the the premier medical institute for enrolling foreign students.

He said that since the students reported to the institute by September 2, AIIMS could not enrol them in the first year MBBS courses as the apex court had fixed August 31 of every year as the deadline for admissions.

The apex court observed that the last date for admission in the first year of MBBS course is August 31, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has intimated students from Iran, Bhutan and Nepal about their admissions at the "eleventh hour", on August 30, resulting in denial of MBBS seats to them.

Also read:- FMGE 2018: Only 15 percent of foreign medical students made the cut, reveals RTI

A bench of honourable Justices L Nageshwara Rao and Hemant Gupta, which allowed the students from foreign countries and the north-eastern states to take admissions in the MBBS course, said that a similar situation arose even last year and the court had to come to the rescue of students.

"In a similar situation that arose last year, we had to come to the rescue of the students who were intimated about their admission in the medical colleges at the eleventh hour.

The bench concluded:

"To avoid inconvenience being caused to the students who are sponsored by other countries and the state governments and the Union Territories in whose favour seats are allocated, we direct the Government of India to intimate the concerned authorities of the state governments, the Union Territories and other countries about the approval of admissions to candidates whose names are sponsored, at least 15 days before the last date of admission,"

The Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, has recently held that "Institutional Preference" in the Post Graduate (PG) medical admissions is permitted even after the introduction of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for PG medical courses- NEET PG.

Also read:- NEET PG 2020: Supreme Court Upholds Validity of Institutional quota in PG Medical admissions