The Supreme Court on Friday declined to give additional time for counselling to fill up around 603 vacant seats in postgraduate medical and dental courses in deemed universities and private colleges across the country.
A vacation Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant made the decision a day after the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare objected to the extension of the deadline for counselling, which ended on May 31.
The top court was hearing a petition filed by Education Promotion Society of India (EPSI), a registered group of 1354 educational institutions, seeking the extension of the counselling date for stray vacancy round to fill the empty seats.
EPSI counsel had contended that counselling for the vacant seats could be completed within days if the court gave the permission. The country needed more doctors and the seats should not be wasted, counsel said.
In response, the Centre had argued that such an extension of counselling deadline would set a “bad precedent for the future years” as it would “completely dilute the object of having a cut-off date”.
The Centre submitted that the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) had conducted three rounds of counselling – first, second and mop-up round. In addition, there was also a fourth round - stray vacancy round that was conducted by universities at their own level.
“In so far 50 per cent All India PG quota seats is concerned, 2019-20, all seats were allotted during the second round of counselling,” the Ministry said in an affidavit filed before the court.
“Any seat remaining vacant thereafter due to non-joining/ non-reporting/ resignation etc. of the candidates were transferred back to the respective states/colleges on April 22, 2019 as per approved schedule,” it said.
There are total 4,561 postgraduate seats for the academic session 2019-20. “After completion of Stray Vacancy Round by the concerned Deemed Universities, the remaining 603 (Clinical 31 + Non-Clinical 572 = 603) seats are lying vacant in various Deemed Universities,” the Ministry said.
