The National Medical Commission's (NMC) decision stipulating that fees for 50% of the seats in private medical colleges should be at par with fees in government colleges has been challenged in the Supreme Court.
The matter was presented before a bench of the apex court today and the Centre has requested two weeks' time to file a counter to the petition. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain asked the court for two weeks' time to file the centre's response to the petitions today, October 22.
The Supreme Court bench has said that it will hear the petition in two weeks' time for final disposal. The petition was initially listed before the apex court on September 23, when senior counsel Maninder Singh, appearing for the NMC requested time to file a counter. The Supreme Court had issued notice to the respondent in the matter, and the petition was then listed for October 11 for hearing, and was finally taken up today.
The NMC's memorandum on the matter was issued on February 4. A few states such as Kerala refused to implement it, after the Kerala High Court's verdict that the order did not apply to the state because fees of private medical colleges in Kerala were regulated. Tamil Nadu also took a similar stand on the matter. Madhya Pradesh High Court, on the other hand, enforced the implementation of the NMC's regulation. However, with the case now in the Supreme Court, the MP High Court's judgement has been stayed.
While experts who spoke to EdexLive earlier said that the petition against the NMC's regulation in the Supreme Court should not impact the counselling for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduation (NEET PG), which is already being conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee, students have expressed anxiety, with some requesting the NMC order to be implemented in a bid to make medical education affordable.
