The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Indian medical students who have returned from Ukraine, China and Philippines due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war, to clear the MBBS final examination in two attempts in accordance with existing National Medical Council syllabus and guidelines without being enrolled in any medical college in India.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath modified the Centre's suggestion of allowing them only one attempt as a one-time measure and disposed all the petitions of the medical students.
The Centre has submitted a report of an expert committee which said that as a one-time extraordinary measure, penultimate year students should be allowed to take the MBBS final examination.
Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said that in view of the direction of the court, a committee was formed by the government over the issue.
The court observed that it is no expert and largely accepted the recommendation made by the committee, but said that only recommendation of concern was that the students were to be given only one attempt to clear the MBBS examination and hence modified it.
The bench said that it is passing the order considering the special circumstances.
The top court was hearing a batch of pleas fled by medical students who completed seven semesters in their respective foreign universities, and had to return to India on account of the pandemic and completed their undergraduate medical course through online mode.
The batch of petitions primarily sought accommodation of such undergraduate students of first to fourth year from various medical college/universities to medical colleges in India and other reliefs. -- PTI