[NEET-MDS Counselling] Supreme Court directs Central government to give details about counselling schedule

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central government to place on record the counselling schedule for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Master of Dental Sciences (MDS) courses for 2020. .A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah asked the Ministry of Health to also inform the Court about when exactly the NEET-MDS counselling will begin. .The matter will be heard again on Wednesday. The Court was hearing a plea against the "infinite delay by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC)" in the announcement of the counselling schedule for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test and Masters of Dental Surgery courses (NEET-MDS) 2021.The plea said that the entrance exam was conducted on December 16, 2020.Thereafter, results were also declared on December 31, 2020. However, after the declaration of results there has been no update yet regarding counselling."Umpteen efforts were made by the Petitioners to get in touch with the Respondents in order to get an idea about the schedule of the counselling, however, till today there has been no update, regarding the counselling," the petition filed through advocates Tanvi Dubey and Charu Mathur said.The top court had, on July 2, issued notice on the plea. Subsequently, it had taken exception to the delay by the Central government in not arriving at a decision and asked the government to do so by this week."You are just dilly dallying. Make a statement now. Ministry of Health is just dilly dallying. These are hands on courses and these doctors will be in service of patients," Justice DY Chandrachud had said..Later, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had informed the Supreme Court in the third week of July that counseling will be carried out virtually within 4 weeks as per existing reservation policies.