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REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION

T.C.(C) NO.98 OF 2012

CHRISTIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE  VELLORE & ORS       ...Petitioners

                VERSUS

UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.  ...Respondents

WITH T.C.(C) NO.99/2012 T.C.(C) NO.101/2012 T.C.(C) NO.100/2012 T.C.(C) NO.102/2012 T.C.(C) NO.103/2012 W.P.(C) NO.480/2012 T.C.(C) NO.104/2012 T.C.(C) NO.105/2012 W.P.(C) NO.468/2012 W.P.(C) NO.467/2012 W.P.(C) NO.478/2012 T.C.(C) NO.107/2012 T.C.(C) NO.108/2012 W.P.(C) NO.481/2012 W.P.(C) NO.464/2012 T.C.(C) NO.110/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.132-134/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.117-118/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.115-116/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.125-127/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.113-114/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.128-130/2012

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T.C.(C) NOS.121-122/2012 T.C.(C) NO.112/2012 T.C.(C) NO.131/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.123-124/2012 T.C.(C) NO.111/2012 T.C.(C) NO.120/2012 T.C.(C) NO.119/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.135-137/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.138-139/2012 W.P.(C) NO.495/2012 W.P.(C) NO.511/2012 W.P.(C) NO.512/2012 W.P.(C) NO.514/2012 W.P.(C) NO.516/2012 W.P.(C) NO.519/2012 W.P.(C) NO.535/2012 T.C.(C) NO.142/2012 @ T.P.(C) NO.364/2012 W.P.(C) NO.544/2012 W.P.(C) NO.546/2012 W.P.(C) NO.547/2012 T.C.(C) NO.144/2012 @ T.P.(C) NO.1524/2012 &  1447/2012 T.C.(C) NO.145/2012 T.C.(C) NO.1/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1527/2012 T.C.(C) NOS.14-15/2013 @ T.P.(C) NOS.1672-1673/2012 T.C.(C) NO.76/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1702/2012 T.C.(C) NO.12-13/2013 T.C.(C) NO.4/2013 T.C.(C) NO.11/2013 T.C.(C) NOS.21-22/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1714-1715/2012 T.C.(C) NO.5/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1718/2012 W.P.(C) NO.2/2013 W.P.(C) NO.1/2013 T.C.(C) NO.60/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.12/2013 W.P.(C) NO.13/2013 W.P.(C) NO.15/2013 W.P.(C) NO.16/2013

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W.P.(C) NO.20/2013 T.C.(C) NO....../2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.31/2013 T.C.(C) NO.2/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1532/2012 T.C.(C) NO.8/2013 T.C.(C) NO.3/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1533/2012 W.P.(C) NO.24/2013 T.C.(C) NO.9/2013 T.C.(C) NO.17/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1588/2012 W.P.(C) NO.483/2012 W.P.(C) NO.501/2012 W.P.(C) NO.502/2012 W.P.(C) NO.504/2012 W.P.(C) NO.507/2012 T.C.(C) NO.10/2013 T.C.(C) NO.7/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1644/2012 T.C.(C) NO.18/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1645/2012 T.C.(C) NO.75/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1647/2012 T.C.(C) NO.19/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1653/2012 T.C.(C) NO.20/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1654/2012 T.C.(C) NO.59/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1656/2012 T.C.(C) NO.53/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1658/2012 T.C.(C) NO.25/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1671/2012 T.C.(C) NO.23-24/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1697-1698/2012 T.C.(C) NO.58/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.1/2013 W.P.(C) NO.27/2013 T.C.(C) NO.72/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.58/2013 T.C.(C) NO.16/2013 T.C.(C) NO.61/2013 T.C.(C) NO.73/2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.75/2013 T.C.(C) NO....../2013 @ T.P.(C) NO.79/2013 T.C.(C) NO.62/2013 W.P.(C) NO.47/2013 T.C.(C) NO.28-29/2013 T.C.(C) NO.30/2013 T.C.(C) NO.31-32/2013 T.C.(C) NO.33-36/2013 T.C.(C) NO.37-38/2013

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T.C.(C) NO.39/2013 T.C.(C) NO.40/2013 T.C.(C) NO.41/2013 T.C.(C) NO.42/2013 T.C.(C) NO.43/2013 T.C.(C) NO.44/2013 T.C.(C) NO.45/2013 T.C.(C) NO.46/2013 T.C.(C) NO.47/2013 T.C.(C) NO.48/2013 T.C.(C) NO.49/2013 W.P.(C) NO.66/2013 W.P.(C) NO.76/2013 W.P.(C) NO.74/2013 T.C.(C) NOS.63-65/2013 T.C.(C) NOS.66-69/2013 T.C.(C) NOS.70-71/2013 W.P.(C) NO.41/2013 W.P.(C) NO.228/2013

O R D E R

ALTAMAS KABIR, CJI.

1. In all these 115 matters, which include writ  

petitions filed in this Court and in different High  

Courts, which have been transferred to this Court  

for decision, the subject matter of challenge is a  

notification  published  on  27th  December,  2010,  

being  No.  MCI-81(1)/2010-MED/49070  dated  21st

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December, 2010, issued by the Medical Council of  

India,  notifying  a  National  Eligibility  Entrance  

Test (NEET) for admission to Post-Graduate Medical  

Courses  conducted  in  colleges  all  across  the  

country.   

2. The  challenge  to  the  said  notification  gave  

rise to a wide range of submissions involving the  

competence  of  the  Medical  Council  of  India,  

constituted under Section 3 of the Indian Medical  

Council Act, 1956, to introduce such a test which  

denudes the different medical colleges across the  

country from having any control over their entrance  

examinations and admissions on the basis thereof.   

3. On 13th December, 2012, when the matters were  

taken up for consideration, we decided to post the  

matters for final hearing on 15th, 16th and 17th  

January, 2013, and allowed the respective entrance  

examinations, which had already been notified, to

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be  held,  while  the  hearing  progressed.  Such  

examinations  included  the  National  Eligibility  

Entrance Test(NEET) for both MBBS and Post-Graduate  

courses in different disciplines, as also the BDS  

and MDS examinations.  Presuming that the hearing  

would be completed on the dates indicated, we had  

directed  that  the  Medical  Council  of  India,  the  

Dental Council of India, as well as the States and  

Universities  and  other  institutions,  would  be  

entitled to conduct their respective examinations  

for the MBBS, BDS and Post-Graduate courses, but  

the  results  of  the  examinations  were  not  to  be  

declared  until  further  orders  of  the  Court.  

Consequently, although, the examinations have been  

held, the results have been withheld and have not  

been  declared,  on  account  of  the  interim  order  

passed by us.

4. The hearing could not be concluded within 17th  

January, 2013, as we had hoped, on account of the

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enlargement of the scope of the hearing and the  

large number of parties who had to be heard in the  

matter. In fact, the matters were last heard on  

30th April, 2013, and it has, therefore, not been  

possible to pronounce judgment before the Supreme  

Court closed for the summer vacations on 10th May,  

2013.   

5. While the matters were being heard, we had been  

informed  by the learned senior counsel appearing  

for the Christian Medical College, Vellore, and the  

Karnataka  Pvt.  Medical  &  Dental  College,  that  a  

large  number  of  students  would  be  adversely  

affected and would stand to lose a year, if the bar  

on the declaration of their results was not lifted.  

Although, initially, we had declined to entertain  

such prayer, on account of the delay in completion  

of the hearing and the prospect of the students  

losing  a  year  on  account  thereof,  we  feel  that  

students hoping to gain admission in the MBBS as

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well as Post-Graduate courses on the strength of  

the results of the examinations, which have already  

been held and for which they had appeared, should  

not be denied such opportunity, at least for this  

year.  We are also alive to the fact that it is the  

Post-Graduate students in the medical colleges, who  

take charge of the medical treatment of patients in  

the  hospitals.   Without  fresh  entrants  into  the  

Post-Graduate  courses,  even  for  a  year,  the  

hospitals are likely to be adversely affected on  

account of lack of doctors to directly take care of  

the patients in the hospitals.  

6. Apart from the above, the students, who aspire  

to gain entry into the medical colleges at the MBBS  

and  BDS  and  the  Post-Graduate  levels,  have  been  

caught in the legal tangle for no fault of theirs  

and are the victims of policy decisions.  In order  

to safeguard their interests, as also the interest  

of the hospitals, we consider it just and equitable

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to lift the bar imposed by us on 13th December,  

2012, for this year's entrance examinations and, to  

that extent, we modify our order of 13th December,  

2012,  and  allow  the  results  of  the  examinations  

already  conducted  to  be  declared  to  enable  the  

students  to  take  advantage  of  the  same  for  the  

current year.  

...................CJI.    (ALTAMAS KABIR)

.....................J.  (ANIL R. DAVE)

.....................J.  (VIKRAMAJIT SEN)

New Delhi Dated: May 13, 2013.