The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for implementing the Medical Council of India's (MCI) notification providing for a common entrance test for undergraduate medical courses leading to the award of MBBS degrees.
An apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik, while giving the go ahead to the MCI, said that anyone aggrieved by thenotification can challenge it in court.
"If you (MCI) think you are independent and don't require any approval from the centre, then you can go ahead with its implementation and if you think you need approval from the government, then go to it (government)," the bench said.
The court further told the MCI that if it has already obtained the approval of the health ministry for issuing the notification providing for commonentrance test for undergraduate medical courses, then it could go ahead with its implementation.
The MCI on October 21, 2010 issued a notificationproviding for common entrance test for undergraduate medical courses all over the country. However, this notification was kept in abeyance in the face of stiff opposition by the Tamil Nadu government.
The state government subsequently obtained a stay against the notification from the Madras High Court.
The apex court said that it could not continue hearing the matter. It said it will not say anything in the matter and if the apex body regulating medical education in the country thinks that it can implement its notification, then it can go ahead and do so.
