Conduct Common Counselling for Admission through NEET PG 2021: SC suggests NBE

Rejecting the plea for conducting common counselling for all PG medical courses through NEET PG 2020, SC suggests that this can be considered for the next year. 

The Supreme Court of India has passed a ruling against the plea demanding for common counselling for NEET PG 2020. The petitioners pleaded that NBE conducts common counselling for admission to PG medical degree, diploma and DNB courses from this year. Since the counselling for NEET PG 2020 is already in advanced stages, changing the format this year was not possible.  However, the Apex Court has suggested that NBE considers changing the format for the next year.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) conducts the counselling for admission to MD, MS and PG Diploma courses, while the counselling for DNB courses is conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE). Despite both being conducted on the basis of NEET PG scores, many candidates end up pursuing courses that do not interest them, just because, they were unable to surrender the Degree seats and switch to DNB.

Since the DNB is considered to be equivalent to an MD/MS course of in the same speciality, candidates prefer opting a DNB course over a Diploma. Quoting a stance from the petition filed “The All India quota consists of various kinds of seats including payment seats and free seats. Suppose the petitioners select a payment seat or a discipline about which they are not keen, they cannot opt out and wait for counselling by the National Board of Examinations for DNB seats. They may or may not be allotted seat in DNB courses.”

If the counselling for all these courses was conducted by the same authority, such candidates could opt-out of the Diploma seats and go for the DNB seats. The ruling passed by Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari read “while refusing to pass any directions in so far as the present year is concerned, we hope that the authorities will be able to have common counselling for DNB PG seats along with all Post Graduate seats leading to Degrees and Diplomas…for coming years starting with NEET PG 2021 Examination.”

Read More:

• DNB Counselling 2020: Seat Allotment List for First Round Released by NBE
• NEET PG 2020 Counselling Dates for the Second Round Announced by MCC, Registrations Begin June 3