Court asks MCI to consider Plus Two marks

Grants three weeks time to pass orders on the petitioner’s representation

The Madras High Court has directed the Medical Council of India (MCI) to consider the representation of a litigant seeking modification to the regulation that bases admissions to undergraduate medical courses on only marks obtained in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

The petitioner wanted the admission to be based on both Plus Two marks and NEET marks.
“The issue raised in this petition is a larger issue. Therefore, without expressing any opinion on merit, this court directs the MCI to consider and pass orders on petitioner’s representation within three weeks. However, the larger issue in the petition is kept pending,” said the Vacation Bench of Justices N. Kirubakaran and V. Parthiban.

The Bench posted the matter after the vacation for report of compliance.

Claiming that each State has its own system and pattern of education, including the medium of instruction, the petitioner said, “Students from metropolitan areas enjoy greater privileges than their counterparts from rural areas in terms of standard education. In a single window competition, the disparity in educational standards in different parts of the country cannot ensure a level playing field. Most of the candidates from Tamil Nadu are from the State Board syllabus and they would not be in a position to meet the NEET standards.”

Level playing field

To ensure a level playing field for students from different syllabi, the petitioner sought the modification of clause V of the MCI Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997.