No MBBS course for under 17, even abroad: HC upholds MCI decision

A 16-year-old girl's permission directive by a single judge bench for an MBBS course in Kazakhstan University was placed under suspension by the Hyderabad High Court, on Thursday.The Medical Council of India had earlier disapproved it on grounds that its ruling did not allow children below 17 years of age to study a course in Medicine.

J Mallesh, the candidate's father from Nalgonda district had challenged the Council's decision in Court and a single judge gave a directive to the Council to permit the child to pursue an MBBS abroad.

Disturbed over the verdict, the MCI filed a fresh appeal and was given a hearing by acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili. MCI counsel Vivek Chandrasekhar apprised the bench of the guidelines that a student taking admission in a foreign medical university must apply for an eligibility certificate (EC) from MCI. As the minimum age for taking admission in MBBS is 17 years. If the candidate is not 17 years, MCI will reject the EC.

He informed the court that many a student was taking admissions in MBBS courses without applying for an EC and some were studying in foreign universities eligibility certificates from the Council.

Explaining the girl in question's case, MCI, Counsel, Chandrasekhar said that she had taken admission to the Kazakhstan University for an MBBS course despite the council rejecting her for an eligibility certification. "We didn't give her the eligibility certificate but a single judge directed us to give her the same," he said. The bench then issued a suspension of the order granted to her by the single judge, reports TOI.