The Supreme Court of India has directed the Centre to convene a meeting with relevant stakeholders, including state representatives, to address the issue of vacant seats in medical courses. The Apex Court emphasized that such seats must not remain unfilled and urged the Centre to consider the recommendations of a committee appointed to resolve the matter.
A two-judge bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan made this observation while hearing the case, stating, “Seats also cannot go vacant.”
According to PTI, the issue surfaced when the court was informed about unfilled super-speciality seats in medical courses. In response, the Centre proposed forming a committee comprising stakeholders, including state representatives and private medical colleges, chaired by the Director General of Health Services.
On January 3, 2025, the Centre’s counsel informed the court that the committee had been constituted and had submitted its recommendations. The counsel further stated that the Centre would hold a meeting with stakeholders and propose a solution based on the committee’s recommendations.
The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to take necessary steps within three months and scheduled the matter for hearing in April 2025.
The court highlighted the seriousness of the issue, recalling its observation from April 2023, where it described the situation as a “very sorry picture” after 1,003 valuable super-speciality seats remained vacant due to a lack of admissions.
(With inputs from PTI)
