NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that admissions in undergraduate medical courses after counselling by private medical colleges “shall stand cancelled forthwith”, making it clear that it can only be done by the state government.
“If any counselling has been done by any college or university and any admission to any medical seat has been given so far, such admission shall stand cancelled. The admission shall be given only as per centralised counselling done by the state government,” a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice A R Dave said.
The bench, while disposing of Madhya Pradesh government’s plea for contempt action against private colleges for holding separate counselling, asked the state government to hold counselling afresh and complete it by September 30.
The bench said the private medical colleges could send their representatives at the place of counselling to witness the process. The court referred to its April 11 order by which it had recalled its 2013 verdict scrapping single common entrance test (NEET) for admission to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges.
“We observe that the mandate of our judgment was to hold centralised entrance test followed by centralised counselling by the state... We, therefore, direct that admission to all medical seats shall be conducted by centralised counselling only by the state Government and none else,” the bench said.
Additional Solicitor General P S Patwalia, appearing for Madhya Pradesh, had told the bench that though the state has already concluded the first round of counselling, it was willing to hold it afresh.