SC directs admission of two colour-blind students in MBBS

THE TWO STUDENTS HAD SECURED HIGH MARKS IN THE ENTRANCE EXAM CONDUCTED BY THE TRIPURA GOVERNMENT IN 2015 DURING THE PRENEET PERIOD

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has opened the doors to colourblind students to pursue MBBS by ordering the admission of two such candidates, who have scored high marks in the entrance examination, for the next academic year.

Terming its action as “transcendental importance of justice”, the apex court said peculiar facts and circumstances of the case required it to invoke special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.

The two students had secured high marks in the entrance examination conducted by the Tripura government in 2015 during the preNEET period. Without any statutory provision barring students from pursuing MBBS, various colleges and Medical Council of India were arbitrarily denying admissions to candidates suffering from Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), popularly called colour blindness.

Both MCI and the Tripura Medical College had initially objected to their admission into MBBS as the two suffered from CVD despite having qualified in the entrance examination.

“Keeping in view the transcendental importance of justice, which is writ large in this case, we direct that the appellants shall be admitted in the MBBS course for the academic year 2018-2019 and the quota from the said year shall be reduced by two seats,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said.

The bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and AM Khanwilkar said, “We may hasten to add that we have used the words ‘transcendental importance of justice’, as it conveys that we are invoking our jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case”. The apex court had on March 23 constituted an experts committee to ascertain whether colour blindness affected the prospects of students aspiring to become doctors.