SC clears single entrance test for medical courses

Updated on: Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Supreme Court on Monday gave an important clarification that will enable the Medical Council of India (MCI) to go ahead with its plan to conduct a single common entrance test (CET) for MBBS and post-graduate seats in all government and private medical colleges from next year, i.e. the 2011-12 academic session.

Appearing for the MCI governing council, senior advocate Amarendra Saran informed a bench comprising Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik that the regulator was not issuing the notification for single CET because of pendency of petitions in the Supreme Court.

The bench clarified that pendency of petitions will not stand in the way of MCI notifying the new regulations (proposing single CET) and others from challenging the notification (subsequently ).This will allow MCI to notify its regulations envisaging single CET for MBBS and PG courses in all medical colleges from 2011.

Once MCI issues the notification, there will be a single entrance examination each for MBBS and MD courses offered by all 271 medical colleges138 run by governments and 133 under private management. These colleges offer over 31,000 seats for MBBS courses and another 11,000 seats for PG degrees.

Saran, aided by petitioner Simran Jains counsel A D N Rao, had pleaded for a single common entrance test, arguing that it would protect students from the harassment of having to appear in 10 to 15 entrance tests every year.

SC clears single entrance test for medical courses

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