SC cancels counselling for medical courses in MP

The Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled all the counseling and admissions to the undergraduate medical course in both government and private medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh and ordered the process afresh through centralised counseling by the State government.

Cancelling the counseling already done, the Constitution Bench of Justices Anil R. Dave, A K Sikri, R K Agrawal, Adarsh Kumar Goel and R Banumathi ruled: "We direct that admission to all medical seats shall be conducted by centralised counseling only by the State Government and none else."

The court decision hits 975 candidates already admitted by the private medical colleges through own counseling while its order to have fresh counseling also in the government medical colleges means the exercise has to be undertaken for a total of 3409 MBBS seats. "If any counseling has been done by any college or university and any admission to any medical seat has been given so far, such admission shall stand canceled forthwith and the admissions shall be given only as per centralised counseling done by the State Government," the court said, making it clear that its May 2 judgment mandate was for "centralised entrance test followed by centralised state counseling to make it a one composite process" that has been compromised.

The court order came on a contempt petition by the Madhya Pradesh government challenging the private colleges holding own counseling for admissions. It appreciated the state government's stand that though it has already conducted the first round of counseling yet it was ready to "undertake the entire process afresh.