NEET MDS Counselling 2021: Supreme Court Seeks Centre's Response, Issues Notice

NEET MDS 2021: The top court has posted the plea for hearing on July 12. Senior advocate Vikas Singh appeared for the petitioners in the matter and said there is no update on counselling.

Supreme Court. (File Photo)

NEET MDS 2021: The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea filed by nine BDS doctors seeking a direction to the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to release counselling dates at the earliest for the NEET MDS admissions for which exams were held on December 16 last year.

The dental doctors, having Bachelor in Dental Surgery (BDS) degree, had appeared in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-MDS conducted on December 16 last year by the National Board of Examination (NBE) for admission to the Master in Dental Surgery (MDS) course.

The plea came up for hearing before a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah which agreed to hear it and issued notices to the Centre and others, including Dental Council of India.

The top court has posted the plea for hearing on July 12. Senior advocate Vikas Singh appeared for the petitioners in the matter and said there is no update on counselling.

The plea, filed through lawyer Tanvi Dubey, said that these doctors are challenging the “unjust and infinite delay” caused by the MCC in announcing the counselling schedule for NEET-MDS, 2021.

“Issue an appropriate writ, order or direction...to direct the Respondent No.1 (MCC) to release the counselling date at the earliest, but in any event, not later than three weeks,” the plea said.

The plea also sought a direction to the MCC to conduct a separate counselling for the NEET-MDS 2021.

The results for admissions in PG courses for BDS candidates were also declared on the scheduled date, that is on December 31, 2020.

“However, after the declaration of the result, i.e., on 31.12.2020 until today i.e. 23.06.2021, there is no update regarding the counselling. It is most respectfully submitted that umpteen efforts were made by the Petitioners to get in touch with the Respondents in order to get an idea about the schedule of the counselling. However, there has been no update about the date of the commencement of the counselling,” the plea said.

It said the dentists, who are also registered with state Dental Council, have obtained provisional or permanent registration and have also undergone compulsory rotatory internship of a year in an approved or recognised dental college.

“That around 30,000 BDS (dental) graduates appeared for the NEET-MDS conducted for admission to over 6,500 seats in the country and till date there has been no update for admissions in PG courses,” it said.