Can St John's Medical College hike intake: SC to Centre

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to examine if St John's Medical College of Bengaluru and four other institutions across the country could be allowed to increase intake of MBBS students in the academic year 2018-19.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, in a recent order, asked the central government to consider whether Sree Gobind Singh Tricentenary Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Gurgaon, Maharashtra Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Latur, Maharashtra Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Talegaon, Dabhade, Pune, and Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital, Chennai, could be permitted to raise the number of seats.

The court passed this order while allowing a plea by Mata Gujri Memorial Medical College of Kishanganj for permission to enhance intake of students from 60 to 100 in the fourth batch of MBBS course.

In the instant case, the central government objected to the Medical Council of India's recommendation for the enhanced intake of students, saying the medical regulator could not have conducted a second inspection.

The court, however, noted that it was not in dispute that the petitioner-college has rectified the defects pointed out by the MCI in its first inspection prior to May 30. It directed the central government to allow enhanced intake of students.

After being informed that there were five other colleges, including St John's Medical College, which were similarly situated with the petitioner-college, the court asked the Union government to examine whether those institutions could also be extended the benefit of enhanced intake of students.

However, the bench clarified, “The directions given to the Union of India above are in the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case and shall not be treated as a precedent.”