SC issues notice to AIIMS Delhi on plea against cancellation of INI CET counselling 2022 open round

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi and other respondents on a plea challenging cancellation of open round of Institutes of National Importance Common Entrance Test (INI CET) 2022 counselling. The top court has given two weeks time to the respondents to file their replies. The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and MBBS students who cleared INI CET 2022 moved the top court against AIIMS Delhi’s decision to not conduct further rounds of counselling after the second round. The Bench of Justices Sanjay Kaul and AS Oka has listed the matter for next hearing on October 14.

Sarthak Vats, one of the petitioners, told Careers360, "Supreme Court accepted our genuine matter, and issued notice to respondents. All the petitioners and other INI CET aspirants are now hoping for a positive decision as soon as possible, so that our hardwork and persistence don't get wasted, without any fault of ours. We hope AIIMS, New Delhi will respond to the notice sent by our lawyers and extend the last date of admission."

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Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Advocate Tanvi Dubey appeared for the petitioners. They apprised the court that of the 900 PG medical course seats for INIs, 737 are lying vacant after the completion of the first two rounds of counselling.

“The decision to cancel the further rounds of counselling including the open round is highly detrimental to the interest of many doctors who would have otherwise gotten a seat. As per AIIMS own record in the MA filed before SC around 737 seats were still lying vacant. When even one seat is of immense importance-letting more than 70% seats go vacant will be highly prejudicial to the interest of the doctors. The Resident doctors associations have been contesting that there is shortage of PG doctors and while we are still not out of pandemic completely and they won’t be able to handle the crisis, with this limited number. Hence, its paramount that the remaining seats be filled as per merit,” Advocate Tanvi told Careers360.

The petitioners sought court’s direction to AIIMS Delhi to conduct the remaining rounds of the INI CET counselling 2022 without any further delay. They also sought direction to the medical institute to declare the defined criteria for arriving at the seat matrix for the institutional preference candidates.

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FAIMA also wrote to the AIIMS Delhi director urging him to look into the matter urgently as more than 50% seats are vacant in multiple departments of various institutes which will lead to “immense burden” on junior residents.

AIIMS New Delhi conducted only two rounds of INI CET counselling between August 5 and 31. On September 19, it announced that there will be no further rounds of INI CET counselling 2022 as a previous top court order instructed all AIIMS Institutes to adopt roster based reservation followed by Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical (JIPMER) and conclude counselling on August 31.