SC says no to Entrance Test by Private Medical colleges

The Supreme Court of India has refused to grant permission to Kerala private medical colleges to conduct their own entrance test. The apex court delivered its verdict while hearing a plea by Kerala private medical college management.

Emphasizing that their priority was to think about the welfare of the students, a three-judge bench led by Justice H L Dattu stated that the private medical colleges in the state should instead allow admission on the basis of students’ performance in the Common Entrance Exam (CEE).

As per a previous order by the Supreme Court, all entrance tests were supposed to be conducted by May 31, 2014. The decision by SC was welcomed by Justice J M James, the head of the Admission Supervisory Committee for Professional Courses. However, the private medical college managements had urged that if they were granted permission, the proposed new entrance exam could be held by September 30.

“We have always said our objective is the welfare of students. We are intervening in this matter because some day these young people will become good doctors,” Justice Dattu observed while delivering judgment on the matter.

“Your schedule demands that students file their applications in July. Exams will be held in three days. Where is the time to prepare? Students will be attending exams with butterflies in their tummies. Moreover, results will be out in the next three days…”. Expressing concern over the lack of time for students to prepare, the bench stated that the suggestion to conduct fresh entrance exams by September 30 deadline was inherently flawed. “He hardly gets seven to eight months… How does he study? These are young medical students studying to treat human beings,” he added.