Ukraine returnee medical students cannot be transferred to Indian colleges: Central government to Supreme Court

The Central government has told the Supreme Court that existing regulations do not permit the migration of foreign medical students to India, and the accommodations made in this regard were only on account of the Russia-Ukraine war and the pandemic [Archika v National Medical Commission].Pertinently, the affidavit filed by the Union Health Ministry argued that the petitioners who are medical students admitted to institutes in Ukraine, went there because of poor rankings in NEET-UG. .Further, neither can be they be admitted to private medical colleges, where admissions are through NEET scores, based on their earlier marks nor will they be able to afford the fees of the same. .Relaxations already made were for final-year medical students on account of exigencies, and accommodating other students on the same grounds will hamper the standards of medical education in India besides violating the law of the land, the affidavit states. .The affidavit also deems frivolous and misleading some of the allegations made in the affidavits submitted by the petitioners. It denies that students with zero marks in NEET were admitted to private colleges.The petitioners had said that a public notice issued by the Central government to accommodate foreign students stuck in war-torn countries in global universities was not applicable to Indian colleges. On this, the Health Ministry's affidavit states that the notice cannot be understood as entitling one to accommodation via 'back-door entry' to Indian medical institutes. .The Supreme Court had in August sought the response of the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission (NMC) in a plea filed by Indian medical students in Ukraine seeking to continue their studies here.A Bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Vikram Nath had issued notice in the matter.The Court was told that a committee on External Affairs Affairs in its report has made a recommendation to the Union Health Ministry to consider allowing Indian private medical institutions to enrol Ukraine returnee students to pursue their education in their institutions as a one-time measure.However, this was not acted upon, leaving the fate of 14,000 odd students in the lurch, the pleas contended. .The petitioners argued that that the NMC had selectively extended relief only to those students who had completed their degrees and had clinical training and internship remaining.The action of the NMC not extend any benefit to the students currently in the midst of their courses, unlike what the All-India Council for Technical Education had done for other students, is ex-facie arbitrary and discriminatory, it was contended. .The Supreme Court had in March while disposing of a plea seeking the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine, taken note of the fact that all students have been brought back to India.Pertinently, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana also took note of the submission by the Central government that it is looking into the aspect of how to ensure that the education of students is not hampered..The present batch of petitions, filed through advocates Ashwarya Sinha and Shubhi Sharma among others, were on behalf of students from Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and other States.Senior Advocate R Basant had represented the petitioner-students from Kerala, while Senior Advocate Manoj Swarup had appeared for the students from Odisha, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. Senior Advocate Ravi Sikri had appeared for around 300 students in two connected petitions.