Medical aspirant seeks NEET exemption for overseas course, Delhi HC asks MCI to consider plea

New Delhi: A medical aspirant who wishes to pursue studies abroad has approached the Delhi High Court seeking to direct the authorities to grant her an eligibility certificate without the pre-requisite NEET qualification, as the course is scheduled to commence soon in Uzbekistan. According to a March 2019 gazette notification by the Medical Council of India (MCI), the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) — the common level entrance exam conducted for admission to medical courses — has been made mandatory for pursuing MBBS courses abroad. Noting that the student has not approached the authorities with her grievances before moving the high court, Justice V Kameswar Rao directed the MCI in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to consider the petition as a representation and decide it in three weeks. Appropriate shall be, for this court to dispose of the writ petition directing the Medical Council of India/respondent No 1 in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to consider the writ petition as a representation and dispose of the same within a period of three weeks from today and communicate the decision to the petitioner, the court said. It took on record the submission made by MCI’s counsel T Singhdev and Ankit Raj, who appeared for the Centre, that the authorities shall expeditiously comply with the court’s order. The woman student, in her plea, said she intends to pursue undergraduate medical course from Bukhara State Medical Institute, Uzbekistan, and the last date of admission for the course is 20 August. According to the petitioner, the eligibility of possessing NEET qualification is a pre-requisite for an Indian citizen who undertakes a medical course in a foreign country. The plea said as the NEET examination in India is scheduled for 13 September, it may not be possible for her to meet the eligibility. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the NEET exam has been deferred twice and is now scheduled for 13 September. The plea sought to direct the authorities to grant her one time exemption as an exception from the requirement of having to clear NEET for admission to overseas medical courses in a foreign university for the current academic session 2020-2021.