Delhi HC seeks response from Centre, MCI on differently-abled doctor's PG admission plea

The Delhi High Court has sought response of the Centre and the Medical Council of India (MCI) on a plea by a woman doctor seeking direction to the authorities to consider her for the second round of NEET PG counselling in the physical disability category without insisting on a certificate as she is unable to obtain one due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Justice Rekha Palli, who conducted the hearing through videoconferencing, issued notice to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Medical Counselling Committee and MCI on the petition by the doctor.

The petitioner is presently working as a medical officer with the Uttarakhand government and suffers from 45 per cent locomotor disability. She has qualified for NEET postgraduate (PG) counselling.

Advocate Rituparn Uniyal, who is representing the doctor, said the woman is attached to a quarantine centre in Haldwani and owing to the nationwide lockdown, she is unable to get her disability certificate. Due to this, a Pune college which was allotted to her for post-graduation under the disability quota denied her admission.

The plea, which was filed through advocates Abhijay Negi and Abhishek Kumar, said the doctor is not in a position to travel to Delhi at this time to get her disability certificate.

She made an alternate prayer to direct the medical board of Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi to examine her for issuance of a disability certificate immediately after the lockdown is lifted.

The court allowed the oral prayer to implead Safdarjung Hospital as a party to the petition and sought response from the state-run institute on the plea.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 18.