Medical college fails inspection. NMC cancels admission of 100 students, SC approves

The Supreme Court has said that the National Medical Council is well within its rights to cancel the admission of students in medical colleges. The court was addressing the NMC's dismissal of admissions into the Annasaheb Chudaman Patil Memorial Medical College in Dhule, Maharashtra, on grounds that the college had exhibited major discrepancies in a routine surprise inspection conducted in January this year. The college had awarded admission to 100 students for the academic year 2021-22. 

The NMC's decision to stop the admission was overturned by the Bombay High Court, which had concluded that the NMC did not have the powers to do so. However, the Supreme Court Bench, consisting of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Aniruddha Bose, mentioned that Section 26(1)(f) of the National Medical Commission Act 2019 grants the NMC control over dismissing admissions to medical colleges, according to a report by LiveLaw. 

Appearing for the medical college, Senior Advocate Nidesh Gupta pleaded with the SC to reconsider the dismissal of the admissions, stating that it will affect the students. However, the Bench said that granting the students admission now would put them in uncertainty if the college's recognition is withdrawn as a result of the discrepancies presented during the inspection. 

The SC was also critical of the High Court's order, suggesting that it had not studied the clause. The Supreme Court has ordered the NMC and the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) to conduct a fresh inspection of the college in two months' time.