NEET-BDS : SC takes note of delay in counseling, says center is dilly dallying

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday took strong note of delay in holding the counselling for the NEET-MDS admissions for which exams were held on December 16, 2020, saying the Centre and others have been “dilly-dallying” for a year now.

A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah, which had issued notices to the Centre and others including the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) on July 2 on the plea of nine BDS doctors, granted one week's time to the government for filing an affidavit. “These are qualified BDS students. Why you have not held counselling since last year? Can you imagine the loss to India? You are not allowing them the degree by not holding counselling.

"You have been dilly-dallying for a year. Tell us within a week as to when are you holding it,” the bench observed during the hearing conducted through video-conferencing. Senior advocate Vikas Singh and lawyer Tanvi Dubey, appearing for the BDS doctors, referred to the plight of the dentists who had cleared the NEET-MDS in the exams held last year and are still waiting for the admissions in PG course. Now the matter has been listed for hearing on July 19.

The 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. Besides the Centre and MCC, the bench had earlier also issued the notices to the Dental Council of India and the National Board of Examination (NBE).

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. 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.

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