HC seeks Centre, MCI response on plea challenging notification

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Centre and Medical Council of India (MCI) to file a reply on a plea challenging a notification which barred more than 80 per cent disabled persons from taking admission in undergraduate medical education programmes.

A division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao refused to stay the notification, saying that no affected persons have approached the court challenging the notification.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on April 4.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Satendra Singh through advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal.

The petitioner has challenged MCI's notification declaring aspirants having benchmark disabilities of more than 80 per cent as ineligible for admission to undergraduate medical education programmes.

The plea claimed that the decision is "highly irrational, arbitrary and discriminatory".

The petitioner has sought to set aside the notification as it has attacked the dignity of persons with benchmark disability and is in gross violation of equality.

The petitioner has argued that the Central government and the MCI have failed to state the legitimate aim which they seek to achieve by making persons having more than 80 per cent disability ineligible from taking MBBS examination.

--IANS

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