NEET-PG 2021: SC rejects plea seeking special round of counselling to fill vacant 1,456 seats

The Supreme Court on Friday denied a petition to hold a Special Stray Round of Counseling to allow candidates to compete for the empty seats left after the All India Quota stray vacancy round (AIQ).

According to the vacation bench of Justices MR Shah and Aniruddha Bose, the quality of medical education cannot be compromised since it impacts public health. The Court further stated that providing relief now might have an impact on medical education and health.

The court noted on Thursday that eight rounds of counselling had taken place before the seats remained unfilled. The Court also highlighted that it is a three-year course, that more than half of the term has passed, and that the majority of the seats are non-clinical. It has been stated that education cannot be compromised.

Additional Solicitor General Balbir Singh, representing the Centre and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), stated that sessions began in February and that enrolling in these courses beyond 6 to 8 months would be deleterious.

The Supreme Court had previously voiced concern over unfilled seats.

According to ASG Singh, the majority of the open positions were non-clinical. He noted that in non-clinical positions, one might be an educator but not a doctor. ASG stated that when it comes to submitting fees, none are accepted.

According to the ASG, out of 1,456 seats, 1,100 are in private institutions and 300 are in government colleges. He also said that tuition at private universities is excessively exorbitant.

Affidavit on conducting NEET-PG Stray Round

In an affidavit filed on Wednesday, the MCC argued that the submission of 1,456 unfilled seats for NEET 2021 will disrupt the whole process for the forthcoming counselling session NEET-PG 2022.

Also Read: NEET PG 2021: Plea filed in SC seeking to conduct special stray round

The response came in the form of an affidavit submitted in response to a petition asking to hold a Special Stray Round of counselling to allow candidates to compete for the empty seats left after the All India Quota stray vacancy round (AIQ).

The MCC informed the Supreme Court that the software used to conduct online counselling 2021 has now been closed, and a reimbursement of the security deposit for participation in PG counselling 2021 has also been commenced.

The court was hearing a petition asking the court to order the Respondent MCC to hold a Special Stray Round of counselling to allow candidates to compete for empty seats left over after the All India Quota stray vacancy round (AIQ).

Advocate Milind Kumar Advocate represented the petitioners. The Petitioners appeared in NEET-PG 2021-22 and participated in Rounds 1 and 2 of All India Quota (AIQ) Counselling and State Quota Counselling, which were followed by All India Mop-Up and State Mop-Up Rounds, which were concluded on May 7 by the Medical Counselling Committee following the All India Stray Vacancy Round. The petitioners were denied a place in either of the rounds.

The petitioners claimed that they are aggrieved by the counselling process which was conducted by MCC in a manner that all the vacant seats were not a part of the stray vacancy round of the counselling.

They said that the cause of action for filing the present Writ Petition arose on May 11 when the petitioners received a reply to the RTI they had filed wherein it was stated that “at the time of online allotment process all medical/dental post-graduate seats were exhausted but due to non-joining, resignation, and non-reported some seats remained vacant.” However, official data was been provided, the petitioners said.

As a result, the petitioner asked the court to order Respondent MCC to give the precise number of vacant seats after the stray vacancy round of AIQ and to hold a Special Stray Round of counselling to allow candidates to compete for the vacant seats that remain after the stray vacancy round of AIQ.

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