NEET MDS 2021 BIG Update: Counselling to start from THIS date

The apex court has been hearing the NEET MDS 2021 Counselling Date matter and expressed displeasure over the non-announcement of the dates earlier.

New Delhi: The NEET MDS 2021 Counselling will begin from August 20 and will continue all the way till October 10, 2021. According to the reports, these Dates have been announced by the Ministry of Health to the Supreme Court. To recall, the top court has been hearing the NEET MDS 2021 Counselling Date matter and expressed displeasure over the non-announcement of the dates earlier.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed Medical Counselling Committee, MCC to inform about the Counselling dates by Wednesday. However, the Apex Court was informed about these dates from the Centre for NEET MDS Counselling.

What Supreme Court Said Earlier:
The Supreme Court on Monday had asked the Centre to apprise it by August 11 when it will conduct counselling for the NEET-MDS admissions for which exams were held on December 16, 2020. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said that now that the Centre has approved OBC reservation in medical seats when it will conduct the counselling. 

Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, said that it will need two weeks to work out the modalities and issue a notification in this regard.

“What is this. We have read last week that the Centre has approved the OBC quota. Now again you will take it to October or November. We will not allow this. You please tell us by Wednesday when you are going to conduct the counselling. We are listing the matter as the first item. You apprise us,” the bench said.

Centre Approves Quota for OBCs and EWS:
On July 29, the Centre has approved announced a 27-per cent quota for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses from the current academic year, 2021-22.

On July 12, the top court had taken strong note of delay in holding the counselling; saying the Centre and others have been “dilly-dallying” for a year now. It had said that these are qualified BDS students and why has Centre not held the counselling since last year.

The doctors, having Bachelor in Dental Surgery (BDS) degree, had appeared in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-MDS conducted on December 16 last year by the National Board of Examination (NBE) for admission to the Master in Dental Surgery (MDS) course.

Besides the Centre and MCC, the bench had earlier also issued the notices to the Dental Council of India and the National Board of Examination (NBE).

The Supreme Court had earlier directed Medical Counselling Committee, MCC to inform about the Counselling dates by Wednesday. However, the Apex Court was informed about these dates from the Centre for NEET MDS Counselling.