Medical Council Directive Leads to Loss of Seats for Approximately 140 Students

In a recent development, around 140 students who secured admission to Undergraduate (UG) courses in private medical colleges in Maharashtra through the stray-vacancy round face the prospect of losing their seats. This decision stems from a notification issued by the National Medical Council (NMC) on Thursday, declaring these admissions as invalid due to the conduct of stray-round counseling at the institute level, a practice contrary to the directives of the regulatory body.

The NMC's notification, dated October 18, explicitly states that counseling conducted at the college or institutional level is not recognized or validated. Consequently, any counseling carried out by medical colleges in Maharashtra is deemed invalid, and students admitted through such processes are instructed to be discharged immediately. This notification, addressed to all private colleges in the state and the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, reiterates the instructions provided in the NMC's July notification. It emphasizes the necessity for online counseling for all rounds, including the stray vacancy round, in private medical colleges starting from the academic session 2023-24, with a strict prohibition on colleges or institutes conducting their counseling sessions.

Stray vacancies refer to the remaining seats after the centralized admission rounds. While historically, these seats have been filled at the respective institutes, the NMC mandated the inclusion of the stray vacancy round in the centralized mode of online admissions to uphold transparency.

However, despite the NMC's guidelines, the Maharashtra CET Cell issued a schedule for the stray vacancy round in September, instructing aspirants to approach individual private medical colleges via email—a move that drew objections from concerned parents and candidates who recognized the deviation from NMC directives.

Brijesh Sutaria, one of the parents who raised objections in September, expressed dismay over the situation, emphasizing the risk posed to students due to the CET Cell's oversight. He noted that meritorious students who could have secured admission under the centralized online mode have been adversely affected.

Similarly, Sudha Shenoy criticized the handling of the situation, labeling it as mere window dressing. She pointed out that many affected students have already commenced classes, suggesting that legal recourse might be pursued, and questioned the timing of the NMC's intervention, given the announcement of the stray round by the Maharashtra CET Cell on September 26.

In response to these developments, Commissioner of Maharashtra CET Cell, Mahendra Warbhuwan, stated that they would seek guidance from the Ministry of Medical Education regarding the implications of the new NMC notification.

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