SC extends deadline to fill 5,500 vacant MBBS seats

New Delhi: In a relief to students who have qualified NEET examination, the Supreme Court has extended the deadline till September 7 for the final round of counselling to get admission in the MBBS and BDS courses for 2017-18 in deemed universities.

The apex court, however, clarified that the deadline has been extended only for deemed universities and no further extension will be granted.

The mop-up round is the last step of counselling for NEET seats in the states. The candidates who register for it and are not allotted any college in the two previous rounds of counselling are considered in this round.

The last date for mop-up round counselling was August 31.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud directed the competent authority (Director General of Health Services) to put up the list on the website and send it by e-mail to all the deemed universities.

"Time for mop up round counselling is extended till September 7, 2017. This extension shall only be applicable to the deemed universities and none else. Any application by any other college or institution seeking extension shall not be entertained," the bench said.

The DGHS, which is the responsible for conducting the counselling informed the court that over 5,500 seats are still vacant in deemed universities.

The court directed that 5,500 seats should be filled up from a pool of qualified 55,000 students to maintain the ratio of 1:10.

Counsel for the deemed universities urged the court that if necessary and in order to maintain the ratio of 1:10 in case of deficit in the list meant for these institutions, the names from the larger National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) list may be provided.

"As long as, for the seats which have fallen vacant, the ratio is maintained at 1:10, we do not perceive any difficulty. If 1:10 ratio is not sufficient, the Director General of Health Services is granted liberty to get into the larger NEET list. We order accordingly," the bench said.

The apex court had last year cleared the decks for holding of NEET, a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses.