Coming to the rescue of two MBBS students who obtained their degree from abroad, the Delhi High Court has directed the Medical Council of India (MCI) to issue them Eligibility Certificate (EC) so that they can be enrolled with the Council to start their medical practice in India.
Sushil Kumar and Milind Babanrao Zade, who got admission in MBBS course in Jiang Xi University of China in July-August 2005, were denied permission by MCI to appear in the screening test for registration on grounds that they had failed to obtain EC from it before doing the course from a foreign university.
“If a candidate who otherwise fulfils the eligibility criteria prescribed for admission to MBBS course in India does not seek the Eligibility Certificate from MCI before taking admission in a foreign university, it would be too harsh to penalise him for such an inadvertent error as refusal of the Certificate would spoil the career of such a student who has studied in a foreign university at considerable cost and expenses,” the Court observed.